RIEB Discussion Paper Series No.2025-10

Title

Minimum Wage in China

Abstract

This paper reviews the institutional background of China's minimum wage system, shaped by four key labor law regulations, with a focus on its defining feature of regional heterogeneity. We compile a unique and comprehensive database on minimum wage standards across all 31 provinces from 1995 to 2022, incorporating both nominal and real wage levels as well as their geographic distribution. The dataset and our analysis provide a valuable foundation for understanding the potential role of minimum wage policy in shaping labor market outcomes and regional economic dynamics in the context of a modernizing and developing economy.

Keywords

Minimum Wage; China; Regional heterogeneity; Minimum wage database

JEL Classification

J30, J38, C81

Inquiries

Qianqian YANG
Graduate School of Economics, Kobe University

Nobuaki HAMAGUCHI
Research Institute for Economics and Business Administration,
Kobe University
Rokkodai-cho, Nada-ku, Kobe
657-8501 Japan
Phone: +81-78-803-7036
FAX: +81-78-803-7059