With app, job-seekers follow the money

A smartphone application that allows users to share salary information is proving a hit among wannabe "job-hoppers".

JobMoney was launched in May on WeChat, Tencent's mobile voice and text messaging service, where it has so far amassed more than 1.2 million followers.

An app for Android devices followed and is now viewed almost 90,000 times a day, according to its developer Guangzhou Hengye Software.

Users can upload their monthly salary and employer's information, as well as search incomes by typing in a company's name.

"Most users are middle- or low-income workers, including migrant workers," operations manager Ou Qisheng. "They're more willing to share information on their salaries than people with higher incomes."

The idea for the app was inspired by one of his team members, who missed out on a job because he asked for too much during the interview.

"We wanted to create a useful guide for jobseekers," Ou said, adding an app for Apples iOS is on the way.

According to a poll by recruitment website Zhaopin released in September, 20.8 percent of Chinese white-collar workers have switched jobs this year, and 30 percent are looking.

Dong Jing, a Web editor in Beijing, signed up to JobMoney in May and it provided her information from several previous companies.

"I started using the app just for fun. It's interesting to see other people's salaries, which are usually private," she said. "I check it regularly and hopefully it will be helpful when I want to change job."

Although people have suggested the app may encourage workers to change job more frequently, labor experts disagree.

"The app won't lead to hopping jobs for better salaries, as that's not a person's sole concern," said Zhang Zhenning, senior consultant at the China-HR Talent Research Center. "People also consider welfare, working environment and relationships with colleagues."

Liu Yiwei, who works for a government department that helps young migrant workers find employment in Shanghai, said the app should be used more for fun than as a serious job-seeking tool.

"It's an interesting idea but not very reliable, as the salaries are posted by individuals not employers," she said, adding that workers have been sharing and discussing such information for many years on online forums.