The average annual salary of skilled workers in Shanghai enterprises increased by 4 percent year-on-year in 2023, with an average salary growth of 32 percent over the past five years.

According to the statistics released by the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security, from 2019 to 2023, the average annual salaries of skilled workers were 127,900 yuan ($18,215), 135,500 yuan, 148,300 yuan, 162,200 yuan, and 168,800 yuan, showing a continuous upward trend.

Among them, the annual salary increases for senior technicians, regular technicians, senior workers, mid-level workers, and junior workers were 40,900 yuan, 31,300 yuan, 42,200 yuan, 59,000 yuan, and 34,800 yuan, with respective growth rates of 20.4 percent, 17.8 percent, 26.5 percent, 46.5 percent, and 35.5 percent.

Statistics show that the higher the skill levels, the higher the salaries. In terms of median wage, chief and master technicians earn as much as 3.1 times the amount earned by junior workers, while senior technicians earn 2.0 times as much, regular technicians earn 1.7 times as much, senior workers earn 1.6 times as much, and mid-level workers earn 1.4 times as much as junior workers.

The five industries with the highest top percentile annual salaries for senior technicians are:

> Information transmission, software, and information technology services: 484,900 yuan

> Electricity, heat, gas, and water production and supply: 480,000 yuan

> Scientific research and technical services: 455,100 yuan

> Manufacturing: 411,800 yuan

> Transportation, warehousing, and postal services: 358,100 yuan

In the top three leading industries of artificial intelligence (AI), biomedicine and integrated circuits, the annual salary growth of exceptional high-skilled workers is particularly strong. Specifically, the top percentile annual salaries stand at 330,800 yuan for AI, 270,900 yuan for biomedicine, and 203,900 yuan for integrated circuits, reflecting year-on-year increases of 9.9 percent, 16.4 percent, and 18.6 percent, respectively.

Compared to professionals and managers at the same level, outstanding high-skilled workers generally earn higher salaries.

In comparison to technical professionals, the top quartile annual salaries for junior, mid-level, and senior workers are 275,100 yuan, which is 119,700 yuan higher than the median salary of junior technical professionals (155,400 yuan).

For regular technicians, the top quartile salary is 324,600 yuan, which is 84,600 yuan higher than the median salary of mid-level technical professionals (240,000 yuan).

For senior technicians, the top quartile salary is 392,200 yuan, which is 62,600 yuan higher than the median salary of senior technical professionals (329,600 yuan).

Compared to management personnel, the top quartile annual salaries for junior and mid-level workers are 268,000 yuan, which is 119,900 yuan higher than the median salary of general management positions like secretaries, office clerks, and logistics managers (148,100 yuan).

For senior workers, the top quartile salary is 307,500 yuan, which is 36,000 yuan higher than the median salary of grassroots management positions (271,500 yuan).

Regular technicians and senior technicians have a top quartile salary of 339,400 yuan, which is 8,000 yuan higher than the median salary of senior management positions (331,400 yuan).

Chief and master technicians have a top quartile annual salary of 487,100 yuan, which is 71,000 yuan higher than the median salary of department heads (480,000 yuan).

Shanghai has issued a catalog of urgently needed high-skilled workers for 2024, focusing on the three leading industries and key sectors. According to the catalog, the three high-skilled workers with the highest median annual salaries are:

> Animator: 460,300 yuan

> Integrated media operator: 370,400 yuan

> Semiconductor chip manufacturing worker: 332,400 yuan

Source: Official WeChat account of the Shanghai Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security