(Yicai Global) June 9 -- Salaries of fresh university graduates in China rose 3 percent year-over-year in 2022 while those who got jobs in technology such as artificial intelligence or automation in eastern China were more likely to outperform their peers in pay, according to a Chinese government-backed consultancy.

Those who graduated last year earn CNY5,990 (USD814) per month on average, up 3 percent from a year earlier, according to the most recent employment blue paper released by a research institute of Mycos. Graduates of vocational education institutions took home CNY4,595 per month, or 2 percent higher than a year ago.

Mycos is a partner of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Justice, and the Chinese Academy of Social Science. Owned by state-owned Citic Industry Investment Fund Management, Mycos provides data tracking and consulting services regarding over 1,400 higher education institutions per year, according to the firm's website. 

Most new graduates earn less than CNY6,000 per month as the share was 60 percent of university graduates and over 80 percent of college graduates. Less than a quarter of those who studied at universities make between CNY6,000 and CNY8,000 per month and the share is 12 percent for those who got vocational training. Less than a fifth of those who pursued academic studies earn more than CNY8,000 and just 6 percent of those who went to school to learn a more practical job earn that much. Only a handful of all people who just graduated or 7 out of 100 make more than CNY10,000 (USD1,404) per month.

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Those who want to make more money tend to live in eastern China as people working in the Yangtze River Delta region were the biggest breadwinners even three years after their graduation.

The best-paying sector last year was software and information technology services, followed by finance, scientific research, and technical services, according to data from the stats bureau. 

Some of the fastest-growing industries are electronics, automation, and artificial intelligence as starting salaries in those surged by 19 percent last year from five years ago, per the blue paper. Another emerging field is data science and Big Data as even though the major was added only a few years ago, it already is one of the top three based on pay recorded six months after graduation. Liberal arts degrees are becoming less lucrative as French, the only liberal arts major that used to be ranked in the top 10 five years ago, has dropped off the list.

The government has optimized the structure of college majors in recent years. Nearly 10,000 degree programs have been scrapped since 2012, an education ministry official said in April. Meanwhile, candidates have new majors to choose from, such as AI, robotic engineering, as well as Big Data management and applications. The new majors are mainly about computers, electronics, and machinery, fields that tend to be a safe bet for employment, according to the document. 

Editors: Shi Yi, Emmi Laine