See also the similar post on NBA salary
See also realities facing China developers.
Look at my in-law. (I’m not too sure about his situation so I will use tentative statements.) He’s smart, dedicated. Rather long experience as a team lead. He has a MBA from a reputable uni in Shanghai.
However, there are many people with similarly strong track record in China, so he can’t move up the pyramid to, say CNY 1000k. In 2020 he said CNY 400k is achievable, but CNY 600k offer is tough and mostly available from high-end prestigious employers.
In Singapore I’m facing a similar challenge. A S$150k (after tax) tech job is rare and considered elite so you need to be rather strong to get it. In other words, the pyramid has a sharper tip than in the US pyramid, based on a fictitious sample of 5,000 IT jobs.
(I think the Shanghai salary distro is better than most China cities…)
The NBA post brings together other important factors — lifelong income; managerial skill; …
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