The minimum wage in south China's Guangdong Province will be raised by 21.1 percent on average from May 1 in a bid to attract job seekers, said local authorities Thursday.

The minimum wage of both cooperate employees and part-time workers will be raised to mitigate the labor shortage faced by some companies in Guangdong, said Guangdong Provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department in a statement.

Different cities will adjust their minimum wage levels according to the actual conditions. Guangzhou, the provincial capital, will continue to have the highest minimum wage level.

Guangdong's highest minimum wage for corporate employees and part-time workers will be 1,030 yuan (150 U.S. dollars) per month and 9.9 yuan per hour respectively. The lowest will be 660 yuan per month and 6.4 yuan per hour respectively, it said.

Labor outflow occurred in coastal areas early this year due to a mismatch between relatively low pay and high living costs in the economically-developed coastal regions.

Guangdong is not alone in raising the minimum wage. East China's Fujian Province increased its minimum wage by 24.5 percent from March 1 and Zhejiang Province, also in east China, will have the highest minimum wage increased to 1,100 yuan as of April 1.

But Mo Rong, a senior researcher with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, believes it will take more than pay increases to lure the new generation of migrant workers, those born in the 1980s and 1990s.

The new generation were more aware of their employment rights, and not only demanded higher pay but also better opportunities for career development, said Mo. They also had cultural and spiritual needs, he added.

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