Multiple Chinese provinces raise minimum wage standards

BEIJING, Nov. 23 (Xinhua) -- Multiple provincial-level regions in China have elevated their minimum wage standards since the beginning of 2024, amid efforts to improve people's livelihoods.

In the latest initiative, many regions, including the provinces of Yunnan, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Henan, as well as Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region, have raised their monthly minimum wage standards by up to 290 yuan (about 40.31 U.S. dollars), official data showed.

In Inner Mongolia, the monthly minimum wage for relatively developed areas will rise to 2,270 yuan from December 2024, while that of Yunnan reached 2,070 yuan from October 2024.

Municipal and provincial governments in China have the authority to set minimum wage standards and are required to adjust their levels at least once every two years.

After this round of adjustments, Shanghai tops the national rankings with a monthly minimum wage of 2,690 yuan, while Beijing's minimum monthly salary stands at 2,420 yuan.

Raising minimum wage standards is an important move in securing people's basic living needs, while it can also help boost consumption, said Chang Kai, a professor with the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China. ■