(Yicai Global) Jan. 8 -- Among China's 38 biggest cities, recruiters offered the greatest average salary for jobs in Beijing in the fourth quarter, according to data from careers site Zhaopin.

Firms were willing to offer an average CN11,521 (USD1,657) in the capital, compared with an overall mean of CNY8,829, Zhaopin said in a report published yesterday. Shanghai came in second at CNY10,967 and jobs in tech hub Shenzhen offered CNY10,477 on average.

Hangzhou, hometown to Alibaba Group Holding, has been a rapid climber in recent years and made fourth, offering CNY9,978 a month. Trading behemoth Guangzhou slipped to sixth with CNY9,150, falling behind Zhuhai, another city in Guangdong province, where recruiters were paying up to 8.1 percent more than in the third quarter, or CNY9,465 a month.

Online gaming remained the highest paying sector with an average offer of CNY11,979, up 19.1 percent, while trusts, auction firms and pawn lenders were willing to pay 22.5 percent more, ranking second with an average offer of CNY11,924. The financial sector slipped from first in the third quarter to third in the fourth.

Listed companies again offered the highest salaries among company types, offering CNY9,672 a month on average, up 1.6 percent, while joint ventures increased their offers the most, proposing 3.4 percent more for an average CNY9,479 a month.

Editors: Zhang Yushuo, James Boynton