Growing enthusiasm for the "Internet Plus" drive - a new business model combining the Internet with traditional industries - also is translating into higher paying jobs for those majoring in technology at universities.
According to a survey on the employment of 2014 college graduates by education research institute MyCOS, jobs in Internet development and application are the highest paying in China, with an average monthly salary of 4,582 yuan ($716).
In comparison, the average monthly salary of university graduates with bachelor's degrees, no matter what their majors are, was only 3,773 yuan in the first six months of employment.
The survey, which collected more than 260,000 responses by March, also found that after three years' working experience, the 2011 graduates working in Internet development and application were still the highest-paid, at 8,289 yuan a month, nearly double that of the lowest-paid, at 4,497 yuan, for people working in primary and middle school education.
In the longer term, the educational investment of those studying computer science also shows a greater financial return.
According to a report issued earlier this year by Liepin, an online job-hunting company, the average annual income of those working in Internet development and application reaches 161,898 yuan, triple that of all types of jobs.
The Liepin report said most specialists in the Internet sector are aged between 25 and 35. But despite their relatively young age, some top-notch companies offer them an annual income of 227,055 yuan on average.
If the specialists graduate from universities that are the top ones in the sector, they could earn even more. According to Offercome, a headhunting company in Beijing that specializes in finding IT technology talent, graduates from universities such as Beijing University of Posts and Telecommunications with three years' working experience can earn 350,000 yuan a year at well-known IT companies.
Offercome said in a report that the trend of salary increases in the industry is irresistible because Internet companies across the country are much more profitable than traditional businesses.
It cited Baidu Inc, the country's top search engine, as an example, saying it had a net profit of 13 billion yuan last year, 25 percent more than in the previous year, which would be unimaginable for most enterprises in traditional industries.
In the list of popular majors compiled by MyCOS, those related to IT technology - software engineering and Internet engineering - accounted for nearly one-third of all the seven majors. The popular majors were chosen based on the employment rate and salaries of college graduates in those majors.
For those taking the major and those already working in the sector, the job market is in their favor. Liu Wei, a computer specialist at a peer-to-peer lending business in Beijing, said the overall environment for the Internet industry is favorable, especially after the State Council initiated the "Internet Plus" strategy promoting the use of the Internet in traditional business sectors, including healthcare, transport, finance and education.
Riding on the coattails of the booming industry, skilled computer technicians are now in high demand, Liu said.
Tan Wei, who graduated from Renmin University of China this year, was recruited by an Internet company after passing seven rounds of tests and interviews.
"The Internet is a great opportunity for our generation. Everybody can see how the Internet has impacted and changed the traditional industries," Tan said. "Compared to other businesses, Internet companies suit the younger generation better."
Wang Tao, who provides employment advice to students at Nanjing University of Science and Technology, noted that more and more graduates from the university had chosen to work for private companies, especially Internet companies, in recent years.
Partly it's because State-owned enterprises recruit fewer people now, but it's also because more students regard Internet companies as the ones offering more opportunities, Wang said.
However, the job market is not so promising for graduates in other fields.
The MyCOS survey said that the lowest-paid job for new college graduates is in medical science, in which graduates are paid 3,208 yuan a month in their first six months of work.
Ma Yan, a researcher at MyCOS, said medical students are usually not well paid when they first take up their duties as resident doctors in hospitals. But their income will increase as their work experience grows.
The survey found those who graduated in medicine in 2011 earned 6,289 yuan a month last year, three years after graduation. The increase in their pay was the highest among all students.(China Daily)
