Income gap remains high, report shows (3)

An important reason for the narrowing income gap, Lai said, was a growth in the proportion of the labor force with a higher education from 4.6 percent in 2000 to 10 percent in 2010.

A rapid expansion in the number of college graduates has established a massive talent base for China, and the labor market must make changes to adapt to the trend, he said.

Another study by Gan's center found that the unemployment rate in China's urban areas was 8 percent in 2011, which translated to 27.7 million people without work.

Also speaking at the release of the Gini coefficient, Pan Jiancheng, deputy director-general of the China Economic Monitoring and Analysis Center, said the country would steadily push forward its urbanization process and economic transformation in an effort to tackle the disparity.

He added: "We must continue to raise the educational level to improve both the income level and employment rate."

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