Some Beijing blue collar workers better paid than white collar

The salary of a Beijing blue collar worker is reportedly higher than that of a white collar counterpart in many sectors, according to a new investigation conducted by Beijing Youth Daily.

The newspaper reveals that a bus driver in Beijing can earn as much as 8000 yuan per month, while the monthly salary for a seasoned noodle puller can reach as high as 12,000 yuan($1,935). The noodle chef is required to repeatedly stretch a piece of wheat-flour dough, folding it over and stretching again. The average salary for a restaurant chef ranges between 5000 yuan and 8000 yuan (after taxes) based on the recruitment website ganji.com.

The investigation results echo the Guidance Wage Levels issued by the Beijing Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security recently. This year, salaries in these seemingly low-end blue collar jobs enjoy a significant increase as compared with last year.

Wang Xiaohong, a senior manager from ganji.com, believes that poor reputation, toil and special skills in blue collar jobs have led to the high salaries, stressing it could be a future trend.