Graduates still want high pay despite economic downturn

Starting salaries

The average starting salary for new university graduates in Shanghai in 2008 was 2,981 yuan a month.

College graduates attend a job fair in Hangzhou, capital  of east China's Zhejiang Province Jan. 13, 2009. Some 700  companies provided 12,000 positions during the job fair  on Tuesday.(Xinhua/Tan Jin)

It was followed by Beijing, 2,872 yuan; Shenzhen, 2,809 yuan and Guangzhou, 2,714 yuan, according to a survey by Zhaopin.com, a job recruitment Website.

However, the survey also indicated that salaries were expected to fall this year.

In Shanghai, graduates' starting salaries are expected to fall to 2,604 yuan, a decrease of 12.65 percent. But the report said they should still remain the nation's highest.

University graduates in Beijing in 2009 will have an average starting salary of 2,535 yuan, down 11.73 percent on 2008; Guangzhou 2,413 yuan (11.09 percent); Shenzhen 2,528 yuan (10 percent).

Last year, the average starting salary for graduates with bachelor's degree was 2,094 yuan, master's degree 3,102 yuan and doctoral degrees 4,055 yuan. This year average salaries for master's degree holders will fall 11.96 percent to 2,731 yuan; bachelor's down 11.84 percent to 1,846 yuan and doctoral down 2.64 percent to 3,948 yuan.

The survey found that foreign-invested enterprises offered the highest average starting salaries 3,627 yuan in 2008. It was followed by joint ventures (3,371 yuan), private enterprises (2,548 yuan) and state-owned enterprises (2,236 yuan).

This year, starting salaries for graduates at European and American-owned enterprises will drop by 13.87 percent on average, joint ventures 12.62 percent and private enterprises 12.62 percent.