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Average Compensation and Benefits Manager Salary in China for 2026

A compensation and benefits manager in China earns about 472,000 CNY a year. That's 34% above the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 246,200 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 724,000 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a compensation and benefits manager make in China?

Average salary
472,000 CNY
39,333 CNY per month
Lowest reported
246,200 CNY
20,516 CNY per month
Highest reported
724,000 CNY
60,333 CNY per month

A typical compensation and benefits manager working in China brings home around 39,333 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 246,200 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 724,000 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior compensation and benefits manager working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How compensation and benefits manager pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all compensation and benefits managers in China earn less than 455,400 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 313,700 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 563,300 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of compensation and benefits managers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 246,200 CNY. The highest stretch to 724,000 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

246,200
Low
455,400
Median
724,000
High
313,700
25th
563,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Compensation and benefits manager pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a compensation and benefits manager in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical compensation and benefits manager salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    279,400 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +35% from previous
    376,800 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +29% from previous
    487,600 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +21% from previous
    590,200 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    645,800 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    680,100 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 35%. That is the point at which a compensation and benefits manager typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Compensation and benefits manager pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving compensation and benefits manager pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average compensation and benefits manager salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Bachelor's Degree
    394,300 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +39% from previous
    548,800 CNY

Compensation and benefits manager gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male compensation and benefits managers in China earn an average of 496,100 CNY a year, while female compensation and benefits managers earn around 457,300 CNY. That works out to a 8% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Compensation and Benefits Manager gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 496,100 CNY
Women 457,300 CNY

Pay raises for a compensation and benefits manager in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 13% every 16 months, which works out to roughly 10% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Compensation and benefits manager bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

80%

80% of compensation and benefits managers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a compensation and benefits manager a high-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8% of base salary. The remaining 20% of compensation and benefits managers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Compensation and benefits manager: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Compensation and benefits manager salary by city and region in China

Compensation and benefits manager pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Guangdong
  • Sichuan
  • Beijing (city)
  • Guangzhou
  • Hangzhou
  • Hubei
  • Henan
  • Zhejiang
  • Hunan
  • Shanghai (city)
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangdongRegion535,800 CNY576,500 CNY246,200-849,200 CNY
SichuanRegion533,100 CNY510,300 CNY275,800-814,100 CNY
Beijing (city)City533,100 CNY541,700 CNY261,300-832,100 CNY
GuangzhouCity524,700 CNY501,400 CNY273,300-800,200 CNY
HangzhouCity524,300 CNY504,300 CNY275,200-805,900 CNY
HubeiRegion510,200 CNY522,700 CNY249,600-795,700 CNY
HenanRegion507,300 CNY548,500 CNY233,600-808,000 CNY
ZhejiangRegion504,300 CNY516,100 CNY246,500-786,600 CNY
HunanRegion502,200 CNY480,300 CNY261,300-767,400 CNY
Shanghai (city)City501,400 CNY513,300 CNY246,200-783,800 CNY
AnhuiRegion500,100 CNY510,300 CNY245,300-780,700 CNY
ShandongRegion498,500 CNY476,600 CNY259,100-759,300 CNY
Chongqing (city)City498,500 CNY537,300 CNY227,600-790,300 CNY
ChengduCity498,500 CNY504,500 CNY243,000-772,900 CNY
WuhanCity491,000 CNY500,100 CNY239,300-767,000 CNY
JiangsuRegion491,000 CNY528,600 CNY225,300-780,700 CNY
LiaoningRegion489,500 CNY528,500 CNY225,300-778,500 CNY
ShenyangCity489,500 CNY528,600 CNY225,300-778,900 CNY
NanjingCity483,800 CNY466,300 CNY253,400-741,500 CNY
HebeiRegion483,800 CNY493,000 CNY237,400-754,900 CNY
JiangxiRegion483,800 CNY493,000 CNY239,000-754,900 CNY
Xi anCity478,000 CNY518,300 CNY218,900-759,300 CNY
Tianjin (city)City476,600 CNY514,800 CNY221,500-758,700 CNY
SuzhouCity475,700 CNY485,300 CNY232,400-743,300 CNY
ShantouCity472,100 CNY510,300 CNY216,800-748,600 CNY
QingdaoCity467,700 CNY504,500 CNY215,100-744,600 CNY
GuangxiRegion467,700 CNY478,000 CNY231,000-733,300 CNY
YunnanRegion466,900 CNY504,400 CNY214,000-743,300 CNY
JinanCity466,900 CNY504,400 CNY214,000-743,100 CNY
HarbinCity466,300 CNY502,200 CNY212,500-739,500 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion459,700 CNY437,900 CNY238,900-701,400 CNY
FujianRegion459,300 CNY467,700 CNY225,300-717,900 CNY
GuizhouRegion454,900 CNY436,200 CNY239,000-699,700 CNY
ChangchunCity453,200 CNY460,500 CNY222,300-706,200 CNY
ShaanxiRegion451,000 CNY459,700 CNY218,900-702,800 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region447,700 CNY485,300 CNY207,800-714,300 CNY
ShenzhenCity442,200 CNY424,300 CNY228,000-675,100 CNY
FoshanCity437,900 CNY448,500 CNY214,000-683,800 CNY
ShanxiRegion431,300 CNY440,200 CNY210,500-675,200 CNY
DalianCity430,000 CNY466,300 CNY197,600-684,900 CNY
WenzhouCity430,000 CNY464,900 CNY197,600-683,800 CNY
JilinRegion424,900 CNY407,300 CNY218,900-649,700 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion424,900 CNY431,300 CNY208,600-663,200 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region420,800 CNY454,900 CNY194,600-671,000 CNY
FuzhouCity419,400 CNY451,000 CNY192,600-663,100 CNY
DongguanCity419,400 CNY450,300 CNY192,600-664,500 CNY
ChangshaCity414,000 CNY420,100 CNY204,700-643,800 CNY
GansuRegion407,100 CNY388,100 CNY209,500-619,800 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region401,300 CNY433,400 CNY185,100-639,100 CNY
QinghaiRegion399,900 CNY431,300 CNY185,100-639,100 CNY
HainanRegion398,300 CNY431,100 CNY183,700-631,200 CNY
XiamenCity394,800 CNY378,300 CNY204,000-602,700 CNY
KunmingCity394,800 CNY425,100 CNY181,600-626,800 CNY
QuanzhouCity394,800 CNY425,100 CNY181,600-626,800 CNY
Beijing (region)Region394,500 CNY381,800 CNY207,800-605,700 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion394,300 CNY403,100 CNY191,600-615,700 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region392,300 CNY377,200 CNY205,700-598,600 CNY
WuxiCity390,000 CNY420,800 CNY180,500-619,800 CNY
ZhengzhouCity389,200 CNY394,500 CNY192,000-605,700 CNY
NingxiaRegion383,300 CNY367,900 CNY197,600-583,000 CNY

Compensation and Benefits Manager in China: FAQs

  • How much does a compensation and benefits manager make per month in China?

    A compensation and benefits manager in China earns about 39,333 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 472,000 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a compensation and benefits manager in China?

    Entry-level compensation and benefits managers in China start near 246,200 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 724,000 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 313,700 and 563,300 CNY.

  • Is the median compensation and benefits manager salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 455,400 CNY, lower than the average of 472,000 CNY. Half of compensation and benefits managers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for compensation and benefits managers in China?

    Men working as a compensation and benefits manager in China earn around 8% more than women on average (496,100 vs 457,300 CNY a year).

  • Do compensation and benefits managers in China get bonuses?

    About 80% of compensation and benefits managers in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 6% to 8% of base salary.

  • Do compensation and benefits managers earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a compensation and benefits manager about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do compensation and benefits managers in China get a pay raise?

    A compensation and benefits manager in China sees a raise of around 13% every 16 months, equivalent to roughly 10% a year.