Study: Incomes grew fastest in tech, finance

The income disparities that have deepened in China since the late 1990s have become more serious since 2002 as salaries in a few sectors have grown faster than others, according to a recent study by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. The report showed that annual salary growth between 2002 and 2006 was fastest in IT and telecommunications (12%), finance (20%), high technology (15%) and common utilities (16%), ChinaNews reported (in Chinese). Agriculture posted the lowest annual salary growth during the period, at 9%. The central government think tank said in a seperate report last week that China’s income gap between rural and urban residents will continue to widen in 2008.