Recently, many parts of China have raised their minimum wage again. Guangdong and Yunnan began to use the new standards on 1 September, and Shanxi and Xinjiang will follow on 1 October. Earlier this year, Jiangsu, Zhejiang and Shaanxi also made changes. Today, in all 31 provinces on the mainland, the top monthly minimum wage is above 2,000 yuan.
The numbers differ from place to place. Shanghai stands at 2,740 yuan a month, the highest in the country. Shenzhen pays 2,700 yuan, and Guangzhou pays 2,680 yuan. Both cities in Guangdong added 180 yuan this time. Yunnan set three levels, from 1,970 to 2,270 yuan. For part-time workers, the hourly minimum wage in Shenzhen has reached 25.4 yuan.
Why should this matter to people who earn far more than the minimum? Because the lowest wage works as a base for many other payments. Overtime pay, unemployment benefits, pay during a probation period, sick leave pay and compensation after a job ends are all tied to it. When the base goes up, those amounts go up as well. Sick leave pay, for example, must not fall below eighty per cent of the local minimum wage.
The rule also protects workers who are easy to forget. People who earn a low basic salary plus sales commission, and delivery riders or other workers in new forms of employment, now have a clearer income floor. Yet some companies still try to get around the rule. They count meal or housing allowances, or even overtime pay, as part of the minimum wage. Others tell new staff that the first seven days are unpaid. Both practices are against the law.
A minimum wage is not a gift from employers. It is a line that must be held. If workers find that their pay is below the standard, they should keep their contract, bank records and attendance sheets as evidence, and ask for help through official channels. The number may look small on paper, but it carries real weight in daily life.
Words to know:
- minimum wage (最低工资)
- province (省份)
- part-time (非全日制的，兼职的)
- overtime (加班，超时工作)
- probation period (试用期)
- commission (佣金，提成)
- allowance (补贴，津贴)
- evidence (证据)
长难句拆解 · 并列主语 + 后置定语
例句：Overtime pay, unemployment benefits, pay during a probation period, sick leave pay and compensation after a job ends are all tied to it.
主干是 Overtime pay, unemployment benefits, pay, sick leave pay and compensation are all tied to it。主语由五个并列的名词短语组成，非常长，谓语 are tied to 一直推到句末才出现。读这类句子要先找谓语，再回头看主语里有几项并列。
during a probation period 修饰 pay，after a job ends 修饰 compensation，都是介词短语作后置定语。it 指代上一句的 the lowest wage。英语习惯把长修饰放在名词后面，中文则更常把修饰前置，所以翻译时语序要调整。
直译：加班费、失业保险金、试用期工资、病假工资，以及工作结束后的补偿金，全都与它挂钩。
同义替换 · 雅思阅读利器
下面 6 组替换都出自本文，右侧是对应的替换说法，点开核对。
- raised their minimum wage → increased their minimum wage / put up their minimum wage（表示「提高」）
- be tied to → be linked to / be connected with（表示「与……挂钩」）
- easy to forget → easy to ignore / easy to overlook（表示「容易被忽视」）
- get around the rule → avoid the rule / escape the rule（表示「规避规定」）
- against the law → illegal / not allowed by law（表示「违法」）
- carries real weight → matters a lot / has real influence（表示「很有分量」）
阅读自测 · 3 题
三道题分别对应细节、因果与数字，先不看答案。
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- 判断正误（T / F / NG）：In Shenzhen, the monthly minimum wage is higher than in Shanghai.
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- 简答：Why does a higher minimum wage affect workers who earn much more than the minimum?
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- 选词填空：Sick leave pay must not fall below ______ of the local minimum wage.（A. fifty per cent B. eighty per cent C. one hundred per cent）
参考答案与解析
每题给出答案与判断依据，注意最后提到的干扰项套路。
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- F（错误）。第二段写 Shanghai stands at 2,740 yuan, the highest in the country，深圳为 2700 元，低于上海。这是「偷换比较方向」的干扰项：句式和数字都在原文里，只把高低关系倒过来说。
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- Because the minimum wage works as a base for many other payments, such as overtime pay, unemployment benefits, probation pay and sick leave pay. 依据在第三段前四句，问的是因果关系，答句要用 Because 开头。
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- B. eighty per cent。第三段末句明确写 must not fall below eighty per cent of the local minimum wage。干扰项套路是「偷换数字」，把 80% 改成 50% 或 100%，选项里的数字都要回原文核对。
中文译文
近来，中国多地再次上调最低工资标准。广东、云南已于 9 月 1 日起执行新标准，山西、新疆将于 10 月 1 日起执行。今年早些时候，江苏、浙江、陕西也已作出调整。如今，全国 31 个省份第一档月最低工资标准均已突破 2000 元。
各地数字并不相同。上海以每月 2740 元居全国首位，深圳为 2700 元，广州为 2680 元，广东这两座城市此次均上调 180 元。云南设置了三档，从 1970 元到 2270 元。非全日制用工方面，深圳的小时最低工资标准已达 25.4 元。
为什么这对收入远高于最低工资的人也有影响？因为最低工资是许多其他款项的计算基数。加班费、失业保险金、试用期工资、病假工资，以及离职时的经济补偿，都与它挂钩。基数上涨，这些金额也随之提高。以病假工资为例，它不得低于当地最低工资标准的 80%。
这条规则同样保护那些容易被忽略的劳动者。采用低底薪加提成模式的从业人员，以及外卖骑手等新就业形态劳动者，如今有了更清晰的收入下限。但仍有企业试图绕开规定：把餐补、住宿补贴甚至加班费算进最低工资，或者告诉新员工前七天试岗不计薪。这两种做法都违法。
最低工资不是雇主给的恩惠，而是一条必须守住的底线。如果劳动者发现工资低于标准，应保存好劳动合同、银行流水和考勤记录作为证据，通过正规渠道寻求帮助。这个数字在纸面上看起来不大，却在日常生活里很有分量。