On October 8, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security's website published the minimum wage standards for all provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities across the country, as of October 1, 2026.

Minimum wage standards are a statutory labor baseline. They are the minimum labor remuneration that the state mandates employers must pay workers in order to protect the basic livelihoods of workers and their family members. They carry the characteristics of being statutory, providing a floor, and being mandatory. They are an important policy tool for the government to regulate wage distribution in the labor market, one of the key reference standards for the market-based allocation of human resources, and an international convention for government protection of workers under a market economy.

Minimum wage standards generally take two forms: a monthly minimum wage and an hourly minimum wage. The monthly minimum wage applies to full-time employed workers, while the hourly minimum wage applies to part-time employed workers.

In terms of the monthly minimum wage, Shanghai ranks first nationwide with a standard of 2,740 yuan. In terms of the hourly minimum wage, Beijing ranks first nationwide with a standard of 27.7 yuan.

At present, Hubei's monthly minimum wage standards are: 2,400 yuan for Category 1 areas, 2,130 yuan for Category 2 areas, and 1,970 yuan for Category 3 areas. The hourly minimum wage standards for part-time employment are: 24 yuan for Category 1 areas, 21.5 yuan for Category 2 areas, and 20 yuan for Category 3 areas.

According to relevant regulations, items such as overtime pay, allowances for special working environments and conditions including middle shifts, night shifts, high temperatures, low temperatures, underground work, and toxic or hazardous settings, housing provident fund contributions made by workers at the lower limit, and welfare benefits for workers stipulated by laws, regulations, and the state shall not be counted as components of the minimum wage standard, and employers shall pay them separately in accordance with regulations.

Internship remuneration paid by enterprises to students in replacement internships and labor remuneration for students engaged in work-study programs shall be calculated on an hourly basis and must not be lower than the local hourly minimum wage standard for part-time employment.

If an employer violates minimum wage protection regulations, workers have the right to file complaints and reports, and may also apply for mediation or arbitration in accordance with the law, or initiate legal proceedings in accordance with the law.