By Li Hongmei
A smartphone application allowing users to file queries on the salaries of various company positions has gone viral in China, according to a report by China National Radio's Evening News Peak.
The application, BaoGZ, which derives from the Chinese for "display salaries," allows users to search, without registration, by company or job for the pay offered for various types of work.
Information that has been disclosed includes the pay for TV hosts at an unidentified station, averaging 50,000 yuan (US$8,200) per month. Salaries for editors at the same TV station average 7,600 yuan (US$1,250) per month, according to information provided by nine individuals who claim to have held the post.
BaoGZ currently offers information about 200,000 companies and 13 million job posts.
The software only allows a limited number of searches, and further inquiries are only possible if users share the application with their friends. However, those who disclose their own salary and pass a review by the developer are allowed an unlimited number of searches.
Those who reveal their own pay are only required to fill in their company's name and pre-tax monthly pay. They can opt to write about their employer's strengths, weaknesses, or suggestions for managers. Processing takes about one day.
Zhang Peng, a senior media specialist, commented on the software's popularity, saying many use the application out of pure curiosity while some use the information as a reference point for comparison among different employers.
The popular application, however, has sparked concerns of personal information leakage.
The application's developer dismisses such concerns, saying they do not create personal profiles for people who reveal their salaries or those of other users.
Zhang has a mixed response, noting there is a possibility for information leaks if the developer does a bad job in managing the mass of information, but he also admitted there is little commercial value in data composed solely of company names, posts and monthly pay.
