2024 Average Wage Benchmarks: Key Cities in Jiangsu, China

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Target Audience: Global HR Professionals, Compensation & Benefits Managers, Global Mobility Specialists
Data Release Date: June 2025
Covered Cities: Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuxi, Nantong

�� 1. Core Data Summary (2024 Annual)

City	Statistical Scope	Annual Wage (RMB)	Monthly Wage (RMB)	YoY Change
Nanjing	Urban Non-Private Units	160,374	13,364.5	+4.0%
Suzhou	Urban Non-Private Units	141,827	11,818.9	N/A*
Wuxi	Urban Non-Private Units	138,395	11,532.9	Slight increase**
Wuxi	Urban Private Units	81,723	6,810.3	N/A*
Nantong	Urban Non-Private Units	111,971	9,331.0	+0.2%

*Not officially disclosed
**Wuxi reported a "slight increase" without specific percentage.

⚖️ 2. Standardized Data Definitions

a) Wage Composition

· Standard: Regulations on the Composition of Total Wages (National Bureau of Statistics of China)

· Includes:

o Gross pre-tax salary

o Individual contributions to social insurance & housing fund

o Bonuses, allowances, overtime pay, and non-cash benefits

· Excludes: Employer-paid social insurance, equity incentives.

b) Statistical Coverage

Unit Type	Included Entities	Excluded Entities
Urban Non-Private	Government agencies, public institutions, SOEs, foreign-invested enterprises, etc.	Self-employed, freelancers
Urban Private	Private limited companies, joint-stock companies (Wuxi only)	Informal employment

c) Methodology

· Survey Approach: Full enumeration (large entities) + Sampling (small/medium entities)

· Classification: Market Entity Statistical Classification Rules (2023 Edition)

· Limitations: Excludes gig economy and flexible employment.

�� 3. Application Scenarios for Global HR

a) Compensation Benchmarking

· Use non-private unit data for MNCs, JVs, and large local enterprises.

· Regional adjustments: Nanjing shows the highest wages (RMB 13,364.5/month), while Nantong is the lowest (RMB 9,331/month).

b) Global Mobility & Cost Calculation

· Social insurance base: 2025 contribution bases will reference this data (e.g., Nanjing adjusted to RMB 13,364.5/month in Jan 2025).

· Severance pay cap: Statutory compensation ceilings are typically 3x local non-private average wages.

c) Salary Communication

· Clarify terminology: Emphasize that "average wage" in China includes pre-tax deductions (gross ≠ take-home pay).

⚠️ 4. Critical Usage Notes

1. Policy Validity Period

o Nanjing's adjustment applies only to January 2025 – subsequent changes require official updates.

2. Representativeness

o Data reflects formal urban employment only, not the entire labor market.

3. Private Sector Gap

o Private unit data unavailable except for Wuxi. Supplement with third-party surveys (e.g., WTW, Mercer).

�� 5. Official Data Sources

City	Publishing Authority	Official Link
Nanjing	Nanjing Bureau of Statistics	https://tjj.nanjing.gov.cn/bmfw/njsj/202506/t20250624_5592134.html
Suzhou	Suzhou Bureau of Statistics	https://tjj.suzhou.gov.cn/sztjj/rdwd/202506/1e244bbcb19c4036922eb1c25f4991e1.shtml
Wuxi	Wuxi Bureau of Statistics	https://tj.wuxi.gov.cn/doc/2025/06/30/4603407.shtml
Nantong	Nantong Bureau of Statistics	https://tjdata.nantong.gov.cn/indexTree/index

Disclaimer:
This report strictly references publicly released data from Chinese municipal authorities. It contains no predictive analysis or subjective interpretation. Always verify against current local regulations.
Update Protocol: Quarterly checks of municipal statistics bureau websites are recommended.

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