Hangzhou, Ningbo, Wenzhou, Huzhou, Shaoxing, and Taizhou in East China's Zhejiang province recently published their latest standards for minimum wage, which rose by an average of 13.1 percent.

The Zhejiang Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security published on July 29 the new standards for minimum wages that would take effect in the province on Aug 1. The province's new minimum wage has three levels: 2,280 yuan ($353), 2,070 yuan, and 1,840 yuan.

All Zhejiang localities have been given the authority to adopt one of the three levels according to their own socioeconomic development status.

Almost all urban districts in Hangzhou, Ningbo, and Wenzhou adopted the highest level of 2,280 yuan, while every urban district in Huzhou, Shaoxing, and Taizhou opted for the medium level of 2,070 yuan.

Low-income groups are believed to be the greatest beneficiaries of the rise in minimum wage. The rise has also benefitted some salespersons and service staff whose salaries are the sum of basic salary and performance bonus, since their basic salary often follows the local standard for minimum wage.

Zhejiang's latest standards for minimum wage were exactly the same as Jiangsu's, another prosperous province in East China. The latest standards applied in Beijing and Shanghai were 2,320 yuan and 2,590 yuan, respectively.