Two eastern Chinese provinces raise mimimum wage by 9 pct

HANGZHOU, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- The eastern Chinese booming provinces of Zhejiang and Jiangsu have raised the minimum wage by around 9.2 percent starting this month to help attract workers and offset rising living costs.

The minimum monthly wage for full-time workers in Zhejiang was raised to 2,490 yuan (about 350 U.S. dollars), 2,260 yuan or 2,010 yuan in the province's different cities, depending on the economic level, the provincial government said in a circular.

This is the 18th rise since the minimum wage system was launched in Zhejiang in 1994. The province last raised its minimum wage in August 2021.

In the neighboring province of Jiangsu, the minimum monthly wage for full-time workers was also raised this month to 2,490 yuan, 2,260 yuan, or 2,010 yuan in its different cities, according to the provincial department of human resources and social security.