Migrant workers earn more than college grads

The migrant workers are having lunch in Guangzhou, South China, May 16, 2013. [Photo/CFP]

Migrant workers make more money than fresh college graduates, 21st Century Business Herald reported on Tuesday.

Migrant workers earned an average monthly salary of 2,290 yuan ($374.19) at the end of 2012, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

In contrast, the starting salaries of 69 percent of new college graduates in June 2012 were less than 2,000 yuan, according to a survey by My China Occupations Skills, an education data consultancy.

This is normal because money goes to those most in demand in the market, just as well-known singers can earn more than college professors, said Li Ninghui, director of the policy research department of the Institute of Agricultural Economics and Development at the China Academy of Agricultural Sciences.

Some college majors aren't designed with market demands in mind, and college graduates may not want to do the work of migrant workers despite the chance to make more money, Li added.

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