Beijing Raises Civil Servant Pay to Bolster Economy

Tiffany Meier
By Tiffany Meier
January 7, 2025China in Focus
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Millions of civil servants in China got a surprise wage increase this week, as Beijing seeks to boost spending and revitalize its troubled economy. According to multiple media outlets, state employees received an average monthly pay increase of up to 500 yuan, or about $70.

It’s been nearly a decade since the last public wage hike back in 2015. And during the COVID-19 pandemic, a large number of state workers in China also faced pay cuts.

Xu Tian Chen, senior economist at the Economist Intelligence Unit, says, “Beijing aims to boost spending.”

A China affairs analyst says the pay raise has another goal besides the economic one.