A man named Ling Jihe in Anyi County, Jiangxi province granted a 3.08-million-RMB ($444,156) annual bonus to his employees on Jan. 8, 2017. (Photo/Xinhua)

Around 60 percent of China’s white-collar workers said they will receive a year-end bonus for 2018, but the average amount will be lower than last year, according to a survey carried out by recruitment portal Zhaopin.com, Economic Information Daily reported on Jan. 16.

The survey found that the nationwide average year-end bonus for white collars stood at 7,100 yuan, lower than the 2017 figure (7,278 yuan). Only 39.1 percent of respondents said their bonus had increased.

Beijing white-collar workers received the highest average year-end bonus last year, hitting almost 9,000 yuan. Workers in Beijing were closely followed by those from Hefei in central China, who received an average bonus of 8,634 yuan.

In-house lawyers received the most generous year-end bonus in 2018, even higher than that of research and development staff. Top managers received roughly four times the bonus of their employees.

Respondents in the 2018 survey gave a satisfaction rating of 3.13 out of 5, less than the 2017 figure (3.32) but higher than in 2015 and 2016, when people responded with a satisfaction rating of 2.07 and 2.18 respectively.

Data showed that white collars said they would use their year-end bonuses differently, but a majority chose to spend their bonuses on family members, accounting for nearly 40 percent of all respondents. Additionally, saving up and shopping were also popular options, according to the survey.

The post-90s generation, who were born in or after the year 1990, preferred to save up money for future use, while managers noted that they would put more than half of their year-end bonuses towards children and training.