Shanghai minimum wage nation's best

Shanghai (CNS) -- The city authority announced on Monday it will raise the municipal minimum wage to 1,450 yuan per month (about US$ 230) as of April 1.

Taking into account the city's social welfare standards, including social insurance and housing funds, even the lowest level of Shanghai employee will be enjoying the highest guaranteed income on the Chinese mainland.

This is the 19th time Shanghai has improved on its minimum wage level since the social security item was introduced to city governance in 1993.

Rural and urban subsistence allowances will also climb.

The city's human resources and social security authority declared in February that the city's unemployment rate was stable, within 4.5 percent, from 2006 to 2010. During the same time span, 600,000 jobs have been created yearly, benefitting 100,000 rural residents.