SHEIN is committed to providing a safe and fair work environment for all our suppliers’ employees. We pay manufacturing suppliers competitive rates so they can support their workers.
Between April to June 2022, SHEIN engaged 3 leading international audit agencies, TUV Rheinland (TUVR), SGS and Intertek, to conduct a salary investigation across its suppliers’ facilities in South China.
| Factories Audited | Total Number of Samples | Cities Covered |
| 150 | 11,827 | 8 |
Cities Covered in the Investigation:
| Guangzhou City | Dongguan City |
| Foshan City | Ganzhou City |
| Huizhou City | Shantou City |
| Yiwu City (Jinhua) | Zhongshan City |
The investigation audited 150 factories across 8 cities in South China, wherein the auditors sampled almost 12,000 workers employed by these supplier factories.
Average Monthly Salary Comparisons
Local Minimum Wage Comparison: Compared to each city’s government mandated minimum wage, workers in SHEIN’s supplier factories earn significantly higher wages, with workers in the city of Guangzhou earning the highest monthly salaries.
Comparison with Average Pay for Private Employees: On average, across South China, workers at SHEIN’s supplier factories are paid more than 40% higher than the average pay for private employees in the region. Supplier factories in the city of Zhongshan paid their workers about 75% higher than the average of private employee wages, followed by the factories in Jinhua city, where workers were paid about 58% more than the average earned by private employees in the city.
Comparison of Monthly Salaries by City:
| City | Guangzhou | Dongguan | Foshan | Shantou | Zhongshan | Huizhou | Ganzhou | Jinhua | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Currency | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY | USD | CNY |
| Local Minimum Wage | 322 | 2,300 | 266 | 1,900 | 266 | 1,900 | 241 | 1,720 | 266 | 1,900 | 241 | 1,720 | 233 | 1,610 | 290 | 2,070 |
| Average pay for private employees in the city | 869 | 6,204 | 880 | 6,287 | 824 | 5,887 | 646 | 4,616 | 691 | 4,939 | 1,060 | 7,570 | 616 | 4,401 | 707 | 5,053 |
| Average at SHEIN's Supplier Factories | 1,227 | 9,068 | 1,088 | 7,906 | 1,037 | 7,608 | 839 | 6,517 | 1,160 | 8,647 | 1,175 | 8,361 | 957 | 7,049 | 1,119 | 8,006 |
Average monthly salary sources: Guangdong, Guangzhou, Foshan, Shantou, Zhongshan, Huizhou, Ganzhou, Jinhua, Dongguan
Average Monthly Salaries by Role
| Fabric Cutters | Sewing | Ironing | Quality Check & Packing | |
| Average Monthly Salaries of Workers at SHEIN’s Supplier Factories | 8678.93 | 8253.97 | 9868.17 | 7310.29 |
Like any other industry, wages in the garment manufacturing industry are based on different roles and the skills required to perform the task. Across the four key roles / departments within SHEIN suppliers’ garment manufacturing facilities that it has audited, fabric cutters earn an average of CNY8678.93 per month, while those in the sewing department earn CNY8253.97 per month. The garment press department have the highest average monthly wages at CNY9868.17, while those that do the final quality checks and packing take home an average of CNY7310.29.
“SHEIN is committed to promoting a safe and fair workplace for the workers at our supplier factories. Through the SHEIN Responsible Sourcing Program, Supplier Code of Conduct, as well as initiatives like this wage investigation, we invest money, time and effort to ensuring that the workers are treated fairly, and in accordance with local laws and regulations, as well as international labour standards.”
Adam Whinston, Global Head of ESG, SHEIN
