Survey: Who Earns More Money in China

Career, education, and age are the most important factors deciding the income of Chinese people, according to a recent survey by the National Bureau of Statistic.

The survey reveals that people involved in high-tech industries, real estate, finance, and insurance had the highest incomes in 1999, while people from the service sector and the machinery and mining industries earned the least amount of money.

Experts predict that this income distribution profile will continue for the next few years.

People in the highest income bracket earn more than 200,000 yuan (about 24,000 US dollars) a year, but they account for less than one percent of the Chinese population, which now stands at 1. 25 billion.

The survey also shows that the higher the education level, the higher the income.

Some people around the age of 30 are now making a fortune, a prospect undreamed of by the older generation now in their 60s and 70s.

The survey indicates that the average per-capita income of families with breadwinners below the age of 30 is much higher than those of families with primary earners of 41 to 45.

This is because young people are usually better educated and have fewer family burdens, and they are also more willing to get involved in the new industries.

Only 2.2 percent of the people surveyed have part-time jobs, and they are mostly composed of laid-off workers, retired people, and some professional personnel such as accountants and translators.

Narrowing the income gap between people may become an important issue for central and local governments, as well as all of society, according to a report in Monday's Beijing Youth Daily.

The survey also reveals a strange twist in the income of different age groups. In 1999, people between 41 to 45 had the lowest incomes in the country, while some people between 55 and 60, who were among the higher income class 10 years age, are still earning big money.

Experts say that the education level of people between the age of 41 to 45 is usually lower than the average because of the Cultural Revolution in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and they also have been the most affected by state-owned enterprise laid-offs.



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