GUANGZHOU, Mar. 23 – The Guangdong provincial government has announced that it will adjust the minimum wage levels in the province starting May 1, 2010. All districts across the province are required to follow the new standards.

Where conditions permit, the district authorities may raise the appropriate criteria but will not lower the minimum wages approved by the state government.

Individual counties under municipal jurisdiction and county-level cities which maintain significant differences in urban level development may perform the low-level standards.  Local municipal governments are tasked to publish the minimum wage in its region within 15 days of this notice being issued.

Shenzhen follows its own minimum wage standards, and will publicly release new minimum wage levels in the third quarter of 2010. The current minimum wage levels were increased on July 1, 2008 and stands at RMB1,000 for the inner zone of the city and RMB900 for the outer zone for full-time workers, for part-time worker inside the zone, the minimum wage is RMB8.8 per hour and RMB8 outside the zone.