Learning about Chinese work practices

Working overseas has always been a case that you'll have to learn new routines, come to terms with what is and what isn't acceptable, and the same applies to China.

Expats working for Chinese companies will find that their rights differ from those working in an international company. 

In common with many other parts of the world, the Chinese working week runs from Monday to Friday and is a 40-hour week. Overtime is expected as part of your job, and you won't always be paid for this if you're working for a local company. The length of holiday entitlement depends on the number of years that you've worked at a company. The allowance starts off at five days a year if you've worked for 1-10 years climbing to ten or fifteen days, as a reward for 20 years' service.

You can also expect to be paid for the additional 11 public holidays. These are governed by the Chinese government's 1949 National Annual Leave and Memorial Days and can vary.

These are:

Holiday with Dates and Duration

• New Year’s Day - 1 January - 1 day
• Chinese New Year -28 January - 3 days, and dates vary annually
• Qingming - 4 April - 1 day, dates vary annually
• May Day - 1 May - 1 day
• Dragon Boat Day - 5th day of 5^th - Lunar month one day
• Mid-Autumn Day - 15 August - 1 day, dates vary annually
• National Day - 1-7 October - 3 days

Half days are also celebrated, and these include, Women's Day, Children's Day, Youth Day, and ArmyDay.

Pay

There is no national minimum wage in China — the rates of pay are set on a regional level, and this can differentiate between provinces and districts within each region. Wages have been rising across the board on an annual basis, but there is still a large gap between rising salaries and the cost of living.

Hong Kong is the second most expensive city in the world for expatriates, and, Shanghai and Beijing rank 7^th and 10^th respectively, according to Mercer’s 2016 Cost of Living survey.

If you’re looking for high salaries, then Shanghai commands some of the highest remunerations in China. And expats’ salaries are growing according to Forbes magazine. An expat middle manager in mainland China can expect to command a healthy £221579 per year, (Nov 2016) this relates to Shanghai and Beijing, and the salary package will include accommodation, utilities, cars, and, schools. HSBC bank has said that ‘China is the best place for expats looking to make their money go further, with 76% of expats in the country experiencing growth in their spending power once they’ve moved.’

Work culture

Work culture in China is very different to the U.K., or the U.S. China is results driven, and any expats will have to come to terms with the fact that Chinese managers will not be as interested in the process as the results. If you want to succeed in China and you're working for a Chinese company, hospital or school, you'll also have to be aware that if you are working as an expat, your contract law supersedes local labour laws. Non-Chinese citizens working for Chinese companies cannot obtain open-ended contracts.

If you’re thinking of relocating to China and want advice about health care costs and packages, please get in touch with one of our specialist advisors.

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