Urban people's income up 9% ( 2003-07-31 07:00) (China Daily)
The income of Chinese people in cities increased by 9 per cent in the first
half of this year, but there was a remarkable fluctuation in consumption due to
the SARS.
The booming shopping street, Nanjing
Street, is shown in the picture.
[newsphoto.com.cn]
According to the National Bureau of Statistics website, the per capita
disposable income of urban residents in the first half of the year was 4,301
yuan (US$520), a 9-per cent rise over the same period last year.
Salaries made up the bulk of urban people's disposable income. The per capita
salary was 3,254 yuan (US$393), an increase of 10.6 per cent compared with that
of the first half of last year.
Per capita consumer spending in the first half of this year stood at 3,110
yuan (US$376), up 6.7 per cent over the same period last year.
However, the increase could have been higher had it not been for the SARS
epidemic.
The epidemic, which peaked in May, made everyone in SARS-hit areas reluctant
to go to public places such as shopping centres, cinemas or tourist attractions.
As a result, per capita consumer spending in May increased by only 0.6 per
cent compared to the same month last year, while the year-on-year increase was
as high as 8.9 per cent in the first quarter of this year and 8.7 per cent in
April.
In June, when the outbreak became to ebb and people started to feel more
relaxed, per capita spending increased by 3.8 per cent compared with last June.
But the outbreak had little impact on non-consumer spending, which includes
spending on housing and insurance.
Per capita non-consumer spending was 1,086 yuan (US$131) in the first half of
this year, a year-on-year increase of 15.1 per cent.
Of that amount, per capita spending on ready-built homes or houses under
construction was 331 yuan (US$40), an increase of 24.9 per cent.
The statistics bureau also said that social security measures were gradually
paying off. In the first half of this year, unemployment benefit payments rose
by 39.9 per cent.
