中國製造業平均工資超過拉美

Average wages in China’s manufacturing sector have soared above those in countries such as Brazil and Mexico and are fast catching up with Greece and Portugal after a decade of breakneck growth that has seen Chinese pay packets treble.

中國製造業的平均工資已經超過巴西和墨西哥等國水平，並且正在迅速趕上希臘和葡萄牙。此前中國的工資水平經歷了持續10年的迅猛上漲，達到原有水平的三倍。

Across China’s labour force as a whole, hourly incomes now exceed those in every major Latin American state apart from Chile, and are at around 70 per cent of the level in weaker eurozone countries, according to data from Euromonitor International, a research group.

研究集團歐睿國際(Euromonitor International)的數據顯示，就中國的勞動力隊伍整體而言，每小時收入現在已高於除智利以外的任何拉美大國，並且已達到較弱的歐元區成員國水平的70%左右。

The figures indicate the progress China has made in improving the living standards of its 1.4bn people, with some analysts arguing that increases in productivity could push manufacturing wages even further beyond what are traditionally seen as middle-income countries. But the fast-rising wage levels mean China could also start to lose jobs to other developing countries willing to undercut it.

這些數字表明，中國在提高其14億人的生活水平方面取得了進展；一些分析家提出，生產率的提高可能使中國製造業工資進一步超過傳統上被視爲中等收入國家的水平。但是，快速上升的工資水平也意味着，中國可能開始讓願意承受低工資的其他發展中國家奪走一些就業崗位。

The data also highlight the problems facing Latin America, where wages have stagnated and sometimes fallen in real terms, and Greece, where average hourly wages have more than halved since 2009, according to Euromonitor.

歐睿的數據還突顯了拉丁美洲（該地區工資停滯，有時實際水平下降）和希臘（平均時薪自2009年以來降低一半以上）面臨的問題。

“It’s remarkable how well China has done compared to everybody else,” said Charles Robertson, global chief economist at Renaissance Capital, an investment bank focused on emerging markets. “It’s converging with the west when so many other emerging markets haven’t.”

“引人注目的是，與其他所有國家相比，中國做得非常出色，”專注於新興市場的投行晉新資本(Renaissance Capital)的全球首席經濟學家查爾斯?羅伯遜(Charles Robertson)表示，“中國正在趕上西方水平，而其他這麼多新興市場做不到這一點。”

Average hourly wages in China’s manufacturing sector trebled between 2005 and 2016 to $3.60, according to Euromonitor, while during the same period manufacturing wages fell from $2.90 an hour to $2.70 in Brazil, from $2.20 to $2.10 in Mexico, and from $4.30 to $3.60 in South Africa.

根據歐睿的數據，中國製造業的平均小時工資在2005至2016年間翻了三倍，達到3.60美元，而同期巴西製造業的時薪從2.90美元降至2.70美元，墨西哥從2.20美元降至2.10美元，南非從4.30美元降至3.60美元。

Chinese wages also outstripped Argentina, Colombia and Thailand during the same time, as the country integrated more closely into the global economy after its 2001 admission into the World Trade Organisation.

同期，隨着中國在2001年加入世界貿易組織(WTO)之後更緊密地融入全球經濟，其工資水平還趕超了阿根廷、哥倫比亞和泰國。

“We have seen pretty explosive wage growth in China since the period of joining the WTO,” said Alex Wolf, senior emerging markets economist at Standard Life Investments.

“自加入世貿組織以來，中國的工資水平出現了爆炸性上漲，”標準人壽投資(Standard Life Investments)的新興市場高級經濟學家亞歷克斯?沃爾夫(Alex Wolf)表示。

Euromonitor compiled its data from information provided by the International Labour Organisation, Eurostat and national statistics agencies, subsequently converting them to dollar terms and adjusting for inflation. But the data do not take into account differing costs of living.

歐睿從國際勞工組織(ILO)、歐盟統計局(Eurostat)和各國統計機構提供的信息彙編其數據，然後將其轉換爲美元，並進行通脹調整。但這些數據沒有考慮生活開銷的不同。

The rise in Chinese manufacturing income contrasts with the decline in other countries — such as Argentina and Brazil. Even in India, which has seen rapid economic growth, manufacturing wages have flatlined since 2007 at just $0.70 an hour.

中國製造業收入的增長與其他國家（如阿根廷和巴西）的下降形成對比。即使是在近年經歷了快速經濟增長的印度，製造業工資自2007年以來也一直陷於停滯，徘徊在每小時僅0.70美元水平。

Manufacturing wages in Portugal have plunged from $6.30 an hour to $4.50 last year, bringing wage levels below those in parts of eastern Europe and only leaving them 25 per cent higher than in China.

葡萄牙的製造業工資已從每小時6.30美元大幅降至去年的4.50美元，使該國工資水平低於東歐部分地區，而且只比中國高出25%。

Manufacturing workers in China are among the better paid in a country where wage distribution is becoming increasingly unequal. But income levels are rising across the economy as a whole, with the Chinese average wage for all sectors increasing from $1.50 in 2005 to $3.30 last year. That level is higher than average wages for Brazil, Mexico, Colombia, Thailand and the Philippines.

在工資分配越來越不平等的中國，製造業工人屬於收入較高的人羣。但中國經濟作爲一個整體的收入水平也在上升，涵蓋所有經濟部門的中國平均工資從2005年的1.50美元漲至去年的3.30美元，高於巴西、墨西哥、哥倫比亞、泰國和菲律賓水平。

Oru Mohiuddin, strategy analyst at Euromonitor, noted that Chinese workers’ productivity levels had risen even faster than their salaries. “You have to put [the wage inflation] in context,” she said. “Manufacturers will still benefit from being in China.”

歐睿的戰略分析師歐魯?莫修丁(Oru Mohiuddin)指出，中國工人的生產率水平比他們的工資增長得更快。“你必須把（工資通脹）放在整體背景中看待，”她表示，“製造商仍然獲益於在中國開展經營。”

The size of China’s domestic market is likely to help the country’s manufacturing workers, despite rising labour costs. “Across a range of sectors China will account for 20 per cent of the market by 2020, similar to North America and western Europe,” said Ms Mohiuddin.

中國國內市場的規模有望幫助該國的製造業工人，儘管勞動力成本不斷上升。“到2020年，中國在一系列行業都將佔到20%的市場份額，類似於北美和西歐，”莫修丁表示。

She added that given such a market share was far ahead of India’s 4.8 per cent and Brazil’s 3.3 per cent, “it makes sense for [manufacturers] to be based in China”.

她補充說，鑑於這樣的市場份額遠遠領先於印度的4.8%和巴西的3.3%，“（製造商）落戶中國是合乎邏輯的”。

But Mr Robertson of Renaissance Capital noted that the ageing of China’s population, and the expected reduction of working age people, could lead to higher wage pressure in coming years.

但是晉新資本的羅伯遜指出，中國人口老齡化和工作年齡人口預期中的減少，可能在未來幾年帶來更高的工資壓力。