Middle, 'grass-roots' workers' wages rise

The monthly income of people working in middle or grass-roots positions in China's cities stood at 3,033 yuan ($530) on average at the beginning of the year, up 16.5 percent year-on-year. It's still far below the average wages being earned in first-and second-tier cities, according to a survey by Ganji.com, an online platform for classified ads, and the Market Research and Media Center of Peking University.

The survey was conducted in four weeks during January and February, and covered 36 cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. It polled than 270,000 respondents. People earning between 2,001 and 3,000 yuan a month constituted the biggest share-30 percent-while 19 percent of them earned below 1,000 yuan.

As the cost of living in urban areas has risen over the years, the demand for a corresponding increase in salaries has become a major reason for job-hopping in this group. Meanwhile, 40 percent of respondents said they don't think there will be any pay raises this year.