Approximately 90% of countries worldwide have implemented some form of minimum wage legislation. In 1938, President Roosevelt, a Democrat, introduced the minimum wage law as part of the "New Deal" response to the Great Depression. The UK implemented its National Minimum Wage Act in 1998, while Germany's minimum wage law came into effect in 2015. China began implementing the "Minimum Wage Regulations" in 2004, after which minimum wage standards in various provinces have continuously increased.
The 2021 Nobel Prize in Economics was awarded to Professor David Card of the University of California, Berkeley, and jointly to Professor Joshua D. Angrist of MIT and Professor Guido W. Imbens of Stanford University. Card was honored for his "empirical contributions to labor economics," with his most influential research being a paper co-authored with Krueger. This study challenged the traditional view of the "disruptive" impact of minimum wage laws on employment through a natural experiment.
The minimum wage guarantee system serves as a labor and social security mechanism in China. Article 48 of China's Labor Law stipulates that the state implements a minimum wage guarantee system, meaning employers must pay wages no lower than the local minimum wage standard. All provincial, autonomous region, and municipal governments in mainland China have officially enacted and implemented local minimum wage standards.
The determination of minimum wage standards requires consideration of factors such as local urban residents' living expenses, employees' contributions to social insurance funds, housing provident funds, average wages, unemployment rates, and economic development levels. These standards are adjusted annually by local governments based on changes in relevant factors. Therefore, regional minimum wage data can reveal local economic development levels, employment conditions, and trends in related factors.
The CnOpenData team has launched a regional minimum wage database, including classification standards, amounts, and adjustment dates for minimum wages across districts and counties.
Time Coverage
District/County Minimum Wage Classification Standards: 1999.06.01-2023.03.01
District/County Minimum Wage Amounts: 1999.07.01-2023.03.01
(Updatable as needed)
Field Display
District/County Minimum Wage Classification Standards
District/County Minimum Wage Amounts
Sample Data
District/County Minimum Wage Classification Standards
District/County Minimum Wage Amounts
Related Literature
- Ma Shuang, Xiao Han, Li Ding, Zhang Peng, 2023: "Minimum Wage and Heterogeneous Human Capital Demand: A Study Based on Job Board Data," The Journal of World Economy, No. 12.
- Wang Huanhuan, Hu Dongmin, Zhang Ji, 2022: "Minimum Wage System, Labor Contract Duration, and Enterprise Employment Forms," China Economic Quarterly, No. 4.
- Qing Tao, Huang Xianhai, 2022: "Minimum Wage and Enterprise Technology Advancement Paths—Technology Introduction or Independent Innovation?," Economic Perspectives, No. 8.
- Xie Jie, Guo Chongyang, Chen Kejie, Guo Jia, 2022: "Minimum Wage, Industrial Automation, and Skill Premium," China Industrial Economics, No. 9.
- Decio Coviello, Erika Deserranno, and Nicola Persico, 2022: "Minimum Wage and Individual Worker Productivity: Evidence from a Large US Retailer," Journal of Political Economy.
Data Update Frequency
Annual Updates