For the first half of 2008 the average annual salary in Guangzhou trailed behind Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing, but stayed ahead of Nanjing and Hangzhou, according to a survey by zhaopin.com

Guangzhou's CBD (File photo)

The results reveal that the difference between average salaries in the four major cities is not very large. Employees of Shanghai corporations receive a cash income ranging from 20,000 to 540,000 yuan, while employees in Guangzhou earn from 18,000 to 420,000 yuan.

Salaries in the finance industry ranked at the top, with the real estate industry following closely. The high-tech industry ranked third.

The survey also shows that 39.21% of corporations pay 13-month annual salaries, 4.41% pay 14 months and 1.85% pay more than 14 months.

73.6% of corporations provide at least one subsidy, including transportation, meals, housing and telecommunications.

The rising rate of salaries differs from one corporation to the next. Compared to 2007, state-owned companies increased salaries by 14.5% in 2008, ranking at the top, followed by foreign ventures at 11.7%, joint ventures at 11.4% and privately-owned companies at 13.9%.