Average Purchasing Agent Salary in China for 2024

In this article, we will look at the average Purchasing Agent salary for 2024 in China and how that compares to other countries and professions. We'll also look at interesting salary data points like median salary, 25th and 75th percentile salaries, salary amounts based on experience, bonus ranges and more!

The data in this article has been compiled using official government salary data, salary surveys, and other sources such as job postings which contain salary information.

All salary information is in the local currency, which is the Chinese yuan. To keep things simple, we are using the CNY currency code instead of the currency symbol ¥.

How Much Does a Purchasing Agent Make in China?

A Purchasing Agent working in China will typically earn around 263,200 CNY per year, and this can range from the lowest average salary of about 134,600 CNY to the highest average salary of 403,100 CNY.

Average Annual Salary
263,200 CNY
Average Monthly Salary
21,933 CNY

Lowest Annual Salary
134,600 CNY
Lowest Monthly Salary
11,216 CNY

Highest Annual Salary
403,100 CNY
Highest Monthly Salary
33,591 CNY

These are average salaries for a Purchasing Agent in China and include benefits such as housing and transport. It's also possible for a Purchasing Agent to earn more or less than the average salaries shown above.

Purchasing Agent salaries will vary a lot based on your experience, location, skills, and gender. Keep reading below to research more data on each of these areas.

Distribution of Purchasing Agent Salaries in China

So we've looked at the average salaries a Purchasing Agent will earn in China. The next interesting data point is the distribution of salaries.

Salary ranges

We already know that a Purchasing Agent can earn between 134,600 CNY and 403,100 CNY on average in China. This is known as the range in statistics.

The difference between the maximum and minimum values is a good indicator of variability in salaries, and can be used by employers to figure out how much they can expect to pay, and for employees to know how much they can earn.

Median salary

The median salary for a Purchasing Agent in China is 258,400 CNY. This is the middle value in the distribution of salaries.

What this means is that approximately 50% of the population earn less than 258,400 CNY, and 50% of the population earn more than 258,400 CNY.

If you are earning more than the median salary, that's a good indicator that you are being paid well.

If you're not earning more than the median salary, your objective should be to increase your earnings to be at least as high as the median salary (which you can do by asking for a pay rise, looking for a better paying job, etc).

Percentiles

Percentiles are similar to the median salary, but instead of looking at the middle value, they look at the values in the top and bottom half of the distribution.

For the average Purchasing Agent salary in China, 25% of the population are earning less than 174,000 CNY while 75% of the population earn more than 174,000 CNY.

75% of the population earn less than 322,600 CNY, and 25% of the population earn more than 322,600 CNY.

Like the median salary, the 25th and 75th percentile salaries can be used to determine which quartile you fall into so that you know whether you are being paid well enough compared to others in your profession and location.

The difference between a median and an average salary

The median and average salary are both indicators you can use to see if you are being paid fairly based on the overall population.

  • If your salary is higher than the average and the median salary, you are earning well compared to others.
  • If your salary is lower than the average and the median salary, it could indicate you are not being paid well enough.
  • If you are somewhere in between then it's tricky to determine if you are being paid well enough and you might need to research more closely.

Purchasing Agent Salary by Experience Level in China

The most important factor in determining your salary after the specific profession is the number of years experience you have. It stands to reason that more years of experience will result in a higher wage.

We have researched the average purchasing agent salary based on years of experience to give you an idea of how the average changes once you've worked for a certain amount of time.

  • 0 - 2 Years Experience. A Purchasing Agent in China that has less than two years of experience can expect to earn somewhere in the region of 151,800 CNY.
  • 2 - 5 Years Experience. With two to five years of experience the average Purchasing Agent salary would increase to 196,800 CNY.
  • 5 - 10 Years Experience. From five to ten years of experience as a Purchasing Agent, the average salary would be 275,200 CNY.
  • 10 - 15 Years Experience. Once you have more than ten years of experience the average salary reaches around 327,300 CNY.
  • 15 - 20 Years Experience. A Purchasing Agent with 15 to 20 years of experience can earn an average of 357,300 CNY.
  • 20+ Years Experience. For a Purchasing Agent with more than 20 years, the expected average salary increases to 384,500 CNY.

Average Salary by Experience Chart

0-2 Years
151,800 CNY
2-5 Years +31%
196,800 CNY
5-10 Years +40%
275,200 CNY
10-15 Years +20%
327,300 CNY
15-20 Years +9%
357,300 CNY
20+ Years +8%
384,500 CNY

Purchasing Agent Salary by Education Level in China

As well as experience in a job, your education plays a big role in how much you can earn. A lot of higher paying positions require a high level of education, but how much can a degree increase your salary?

In our research we have compared the salaries of employees in the same job and career level with different levels of education to see how much more you can earn at each education level.

The salary you can earn based on your education is very specific to both your location and the career path you choose.

In our research, we looked at the average salary for a Purchasing Agent in China based on the education level of the employees in order to find out whether a better education level would increase your salary.

  • High School. A Purchasing Agent in China with a high school education can earn an average salary of 172,200 CNY.

  • Certificate or Diploma. A Purchasing Agent in China with a certificate or diploma education can earn an average salary of 253,400 CNY.

  • Bachelor's Degree. A Purchasing Agent in China with a bachelor's degree education can earn an average salary of 385,300 CNY.

Average Salary by Education Chart

High School
172,200 CNY
Certificate or Diploma +47%
253,400 CNY
Bachelor's Degree +53%
385,300 CNY

How Much is a Master's Degree or MBA Program?

The approximate cost of a master's degree or post-graduate program like an MBA in China is around 146,000 to 439,000 CNY and takes two years to complete.

As you can see above, there are financial benefits from reaching master's degree level, but don't expect to see much of a salary increase until you have completed the degree.

It's common for people to pursue an MBA or other post-graduate program in order to switch to a a job that pays more. On average, you can expect to earn around 10% more when switching to a new company.

Whether you decide to pursue a master's degree depends on many factors. If you are able to afford it, the numbers suggest that the return on investment is worth it and you could recover the costs in a few years from the salary increase you would receive.

Purchasing Agent Salary Compared by Gender

In the modern age, we know that there should never be a pay gap between men and women. Unfortunately, in many professions, there is still a significant difference between the salaries earned by men when compared to the salary of women in the same job.

In China, a male purchasing agent will earn an average of 275,800 CNY, while a female purchasing agent will earn around 247,800 CNY.

This means that a male purchasing agent earns approximately 11% more than a female purchasing agent for performing the same job.

Average Salary by Gender Chart in China

Male
275,800 CNY
Female -11%
247,800 CNY

Purchasing Agent Average Pay Raise in China

In many countries, an annual pay raise is often given to employees to reward their service with a salary increase.

From our research, we can see that the average pay raise for a Purchasing Agent in China is around 10% every 16 months.

The national average pay raise across all professions and industries in China is around 9% every 15 months.

In this case, we can see that the number of months between the average pay raise is higher than the typical 12 months.

To make the data more meaningful, we can calculate what the approximate annual pay raise would be using a simple formula:

Annual Increase = ( Increase Rate ÷ Months ) × 12

So for this example, it would be:

Annual Increase = ( 10 ÷ 16 ) × 12  = 8%

What this means is that a Purchasing Agent in China can expect to receive an average pay raise of around 8% every 12 months.

Annual Pay Raise by Industry in China for 2024

In the chart below, you can see the average annual pay raise percentages for each of the major industries in China.

You will see that companies in bigger and more lucrative industries tend to have the higher annual pay raises.

Banking
8%
Energy
7%
Information Technology
6%
Healthcare
5%
Travel
4%
Construction
3%
Education
2%

Purchasing Agent Bonus and Incentive Rates in China

Another part of your overall compensation in a job is how much bonus you receive. Some job roles will be more likely to pay a bonus than others and also more likely to have higher bonus rates.

Generally speaking, jobs that are more involved with direct revenue generation will receive higher bonuses based on the performance towards revenue goals.

A Purchasing Agent is a moderate bonus based job, with 55% of employees reporting at least one bonus in the last 12 months.

45% reported that they had not received any bonuses in the previous 12 months.

For the employees that did receive a bonus in the previous 12 months, the reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 6%.

Received Bonus
55%
No Bonus
45%

What are the Types of Bonus?

There are a number of difference types of bonus you can receive in a job. Including:

  • Individual performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee for general performance in the job. It's the most common type of bonus.
  • Company performance bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to a company employees to share profit with the staff.
  • Goal based bonus - This is a bonus that is awarded to an individual employee (or a team) for achieving specific goals, objectives, or milestones.
  • Holiday bonus - This type of bonus is usually paid around the holidays, often the end of the year, and is a token of appreciation for the hard work throughout the year.

Government vs Private Sector Salaries

Another commonly asked question is whether you get paid a higher salary working in the public (government) sector or the private sector.

Public sector employees in China earn approximately 6% more than private sector employees in the same role.

Public Sector
362,200 CNY
Private Sector -6%
341,400 CNY

Salaries for Jobs Similar to a Purchasing Agent

In the table below, we have salary information for jobs that are similar to a Purchasing Agent in China.

Job Title Category Salary
Asset Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 309,800 CNY
Asset Protection Associate Purchasing and Inventory 296,000 CNY
Asset Protection Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 325,900 CNY
Assistant Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 288,100 CNY
Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 454,300 CNY
Capacity Planner Purchasing and Inventory 341,900 CNY
Category Leader Purchasing and Inventory 327,800 CNY
Category Management Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 318,800 CNY
Category Manager Purchasing and Inventory 353,600 CNY
Channel Services Representative Purchasing and Inventory 313,700 CNY
Contracts Manager Purchasing and Inventory 397,900 CNY
Contracts Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 330,700 CNY
Demand Planner Purchasing and Inventory 348,300 CNY
Demand Planning Manager Purchasing and Inventory 388,100 CNY
Distribution Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 275,800 CNY
Distribution Associate Purchasing and Inventory 294,700 CNY
Distribution Manager Purchasing and Inventory 597,800 CNY
Inventory Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 301,300 CNY
Inventory Control Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 172,200 CNY
Inventory Control Manager Purchasing and Inventory 412,000 CNY
Inventory Management Associate Purchasing and Inventory 330,900 CNY
Inventory Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 309,800 CNY
Logistics Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 288,700 CNY
Master Planner Purchasing and Inventory 283,700 CNY
Material Handler Purchasing and Inventory 187,300 CNY
Material Planning Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 275,800 CNY
Merchandise Manager Purchasing and Inventory 365,400 CNY
Procurement Administrator Purchasing and Inventory 385,300 CNY
Procurement Agent Purchasing and Inventory 232,900 CNY
Procurement Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 403,100 CNY
Procurement Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 240,500 CNY
Procurement Associate Purchasing and Inventory 330,700 CNY
Procurement Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 152,000 CNY
Procurement Engineer Purchasing and Inventory 320,500 CNY
Procurement Manager Purchasing and Inventory 625,000 CNY
Procurement Officer Purchasing and Inventory 154,700 CNY
Procurement Process Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 361,600 CNY
Procurement Specialist Purchasing and Inventory 283,400 CNY
Production Planner Purchasing and Inventory 327,800 CNY
Project Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 377,200 CNY
Purchaser Purchasing and Inventory 454,900 CNY
Purchasing Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 161,600 CNY
Purchasing Manager Purchasing and Inventory 645,800 CNY
Purchasing Officer Purchasing and Inventory 296,000 CNY
Purchasing Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 430,500 CNY
Shipping and Receiving Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 159,400 CNY
Shipping Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 294,700 CNY
Stock Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 172,200 CNY
Stock Regulator Purchasing and Inventory 180,300 CNY
Storage Manager Purchasing and Inventory 407,300 CNY
Store Keeper Purchasing and Inventory 152,100 CNY
Stores and Logistics Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 339,100 CNY
Supply Chain Analyst Purchasing and Inventory 454,300 CNY
Supply Chain Coordinator Purchasing and Inventory 344,600 CNY
Supply Chain Development Manager Purchasing and Inventory 592,600 CNY
Supply Chain Director Purchasing and Inventory 639,100 CNY
Supply Chain Manager Purchasing and Inventory 629,800 CNY
Supply Planner Purchasing and Inventory 315,900 CNY
Warehouse Assistant Purchasing and Inventory 129,000 CNY
Warehouse Clerk Purchasing and Inventory 127,700 CNY
Warehouse Executive Purchasing and Inventory 504,500 CNY
Warehouse Lead Purchasing and Inventory 371,100 CNY
Warehouse Manager Purchasing and Inventory 552,400 CNY
Warehouse Supervisor Purchasing and Inventory 367,200 CNY
Wholesale Buyer Purchasing and Inventory 464,900 CNY

Salary Comparison by City

If you want to compare salaries with different cities in China, you can use the links below to explore the data for each specific city we have researched.

City Average Salary
Beijing 294,700 CNY
Changchun 254,800 CNY
Changsha 239,000 CNY
Chengdu 286,400 CNY
Chongqing 281,500 CNY
Dalian 233,900 CNY
Dongguan 233,900 CNY
Foshan 249,600 CNY
Fuzhou 232,900 CNY
Guangzhou 301,700 CNY
Hangzhou 275,800 CNY
Harbin 263,900 CNY
Jinan 288,700 CNY
Kunming 246,500 CNY
Nanjing 263,200 CNY
Qingdao 251,500 CNY
Quanzhou 238,900 CNY
Shanghai 299,500 CNY
Shantou 273,000 CNY
Shenyang 275,500 CNY
Shenzhen 265,000 CNY
Suzhou 265,000 CNY
Tianjin 267,100 CNY
Wenzhou 253,400 CNY
Wuhan 283,700 CNY
Wuxi 225,700 CNY
Xi an 273,300 CNY
Xiamen 221,500 CNY
Zhengzhou 232,900 CNY

Salary Comparison by State

The table below includes links to the average salary for each state in China.

City Average Salary
Anhui 292,000 CNY
Beijing 233,900 CNY
Chongqing 245,300 CNY
Fujian 252,300 CNY
Gansu 253,400 CNY
Guangdong 305,600 CNY
Guangxi 272,800 CNY
Guizhou 240,500 CNY
Hainan 237,400 CNY
Hebei 294,700 CNY
Heilongjiang 254,700 CNY
Henan 283,700 CNY
Hubei 294,700 CNY
Hunan 288,700 CNY
Jiangsu 290,800 CNY
Jiangxi 263,200 CNY
Jilin 257,700 CNY
Liaoning 275,200 CNY
Nei Monggol 239,300 CNY
Ningxia 221,500 CNY
Qinghai 233,600 CNY
Shaanxi 266,000 CNY
Shandong 297,000 CNY
Shanghai 232,400 CNY
Shanxi 240,500 CNY
Sichuan 301,600 CNY
Tianjin 232,900 CNY
Xinjiang Uygur 232,900 CNY
Xizang [Tibet] 209,500 CNY
Yunnan 283,400 CNY
Zhejiang 281,500 CNY

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