The average monthly salary for graduates in Beijing is expected to rise from 2,655 yuan in 2009 to 2,815 yuan in 2010, according to a survey released by Zhaopin salary data research center last month.
More than 5,000 companies across the country, including State-owned, private and multinational, participated in the survey.
Due to the financial crisis, starting pay for new grads in all industries dropped last year and those entering the job market had lower expectations. Nationally the average salary for graduates with a bachelor's degree is 2,036 yuan, 2,946 yuan for those with a master's degree and 4,325 yuan for PhD holders.
"I have no idea of the 'average salary'," said Xuehong, a postgraduate from the School of Sociology at Renmin University of China. "My expectation is 5,000 to 7,000 yuan for a master's degree. I know there is a moderate salary increase, but I don't think it will catch up with the inflation rate."
Xuehong just signed a contract with a State-owned financial company in Guangzhou. She said insiders told her the salary can live up to her expectation.
According to the survey, domestic financial, hi-tech and real estate companies will be the most generous employers nationwide in 2010, with their average salary offer at 2,752 yuan, 2,637 yuan and 2,519 yuan, respectively.
But European and American companies will still provide the highest starting pay nationwide in 2010 with an average salary of 3,649 yuan. Private companies will offer the lowest average salary of 2,367 yuan, according to the survey.
"I don't think the figure has too much significance," said a staff member of Beijing Foreign Enterprise Human Resources Service Co Ltd (Fesco). "Salaries fluctuate all the time, and it varies from position to position, so you cannot assume that every position will have a salary rise since the economy is getting better."
Du Chuan, a senior student from a business school in Beijing, is not optimistic about higher pay.
"I believe the salary increase will definitely come later than the economic recovery," said Du, who is still looking for a job with a monthly salary of 4,000 to 4,500 yuan.
Some multinational companies are confident that besides pay, their reputation also helps them remain appealing.
"People come to work at our company because we enjoy good reputation in the industry," said Samuel Zhang, staffing manager of US PR company Burson-Marsteller's Beijing office. "We didn't cut entry-level salaries in 2009 despite the bad economy. So we don't have a plan for salary raise for 2010."
Zhang didn't reveal starting pay though.
The survey also showed that 3G websites are becoming the hot new destination for graduates. They offer an entry-level salary of 5,000 yuan and more than 10,000 yuan for mid-level positions.
Hao Jian, a consultant from Zhaopin Recruiting Co, suggests that new grads should not lower their salary expectations too much. "There is a tendency among new grads for their salary expectations to have fluctuations greater than their employers," Hao was quoted saying by the News Express.
Hao suggests graduates conduct thorough investigation before negotiating salaries with their potential employers.
