As many as 95 percent of employees in Beijing real estate companies expect their income to be somewhere between 150,000 and 300,000 yuan in 2010, according to a survey report released on April 2.

The survey, conducted by Zhaopin.com, one of the largest human resources service providers in China, found 95 percent of employees in real estate companies in Beijing expect their income to grow to twice or three times their average income in 2009.

"The average (real estate) income in Beijing was about 100,000 yuan in 2009," said Zhao Lipeng, senior payment consultant with Zhaopin.com.

Zhao said the real estate income in Beijing was higher than other cities and the survey reflected the employees' optimism about future business.

However, the survey of their employers did not support such an optimistic view, Zhao said.

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"The companies are more sensible and the figures from the human resources departments in those companies showed that the growth rate of the average income will be 10.3 percent in 2010," Zhao said.

Although the number was 0.5 percent higher than the average rate of other businesses, the increase still could not meet the employees' expectations, he said.

Zhao said the real estate business in Beijing had developed very fast and the profits were huge, but the companies needed money to keep operating and would not raise wages by much.

Some employees also understand their expectations might prove to be unrealistic.

"I wish for a higher income but I know the reality will not satisfy the expectation," said Zhu Debang, a 25-year-old man who has worked as a site inspector for a real estate company in Beijing for one year.

Zhu said his wage was about 4,000 yuan per month now and he was entitled to a rise to 6,000 yuan after two-years work. He said every one in the company was hoping for a wage increase because business was so hot in the city.

"However, I understand it is only a wish and as an employee working on site, my income cannot be compared with other positions, such as sales," Zhu said.

Meanwhile some employees are taking a more pragmatic view.

Fang Xiaoqing, a property saleswoman with a high-end apartment project near Beijing's East Third Ring Road, sold 120 apartments worth 380 million yuan last year. She said her wage was 15,000 yuan per month last year.

"I only hope I could keep the same achievement and income as last year in 2010," Fang said.

The survey comprised 30,000 employees in real estate companies all over the country, about 20 percent in Beijing. Almost 80 percent of the respondents work in project development positions and 12.7 percent of them work in sales.