China Development Brief is soon to release a report on the salaries and the supply and demand of human resources in China’s charity sector. The report will be based on a survey carried out from May 2017 to September 2018 with the support of the Ford Foundation. The data was collected through online surveys and through the resumes and recruitment information published on CDB’s media platform.
One of the report’s findings is that the pay is much higher in foundations than for equivalent positions in grassroots NGOs. This is also applicable to other welfare indicators such as social insurance, bonuses, and pay rises. An analysis of the 668 full-time recruitment ads in CDB’s database that include a salary range revealed that 74% of positions came with salaries of under 7,000 yuan a month, 42% were in the 3001-5000 yuan range and 2% were below 3,000 yuan. A separate survey of the welfare provisions for the employees of social organizations produced 320 samples. The results show that the so-called 五险一金 (the five insurances and one fund: endowment, medical, unemployment, employment injury and maternity insurance, plus a housing fund) is not provided by all organizations, but only by around 74% of them. Nevertheless, this constitutes double-digit growth compared to the figure of 63% obtained in the same survey conducted in 2016.
When it comes to the regional distribution of the supply and demand of talent, the four cities of Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen account on their own for over 60% of both recruiters and job seekers. Foundations account for 78% of job offers. An analysis of the 1684 resume samples that included relevant data revealed that Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen possess an absolute advantage as the preferred work locations.
Regarding the supply and demand in different fields of work, the field of environmental protection has an oversupply of human resources, while fields like social work, children, capacity building, and care for the elderly all have a shortage. The 1840 recruitment ads in CDB’s database that include relevant data show that “project management” is in highest demand, with 1130 ads mentioning this position, accounting for 61.4% of the total, followed by “communication and new media operations” with 210 ads, or 11.4%. The 1845 resume samples to include relevant data reveal that 1008 job seekers prefer “project management” positions, accounting for 54.6%, followed by “communication and new media operations”, with 512, accounting for 27.8%.
CDB’s report reveals that the wage levels in the charity sector remain low, but certain improvements can also be seen compared to the 2016 report. With the continuing development of this field in China, it is to be hoped that the benefits for employees will continue improving and public awareness of the importance of civil society will be enhanced.
