Bosses have been put on notice: Nearly half of urban Chinese employees expect promotion and pay rises or to change jobs in the new year, according to a recent survey.

Of respondents between the ages of 18 and 60 in eight major Chinese cities, 46.1 percent said they anticipate either a pay rise or finding another job.

The findings were released by Beijing-based polling agency Horizon Group after quizzing more than 4,000 households nationwide.

Two in three urbanites, or 67.4 percent, anticipate an income rise next year compared with 70.2 percent for township residents and 75.6 percent for rural dwellers.

And two in five city residents, or 39.9 percent, plan to move to a job which is more satisfying.

But it's not just work on their minds: One in four (25.1 percent) plan to travel for leisure, thanks to rising disposable incomes.

One in 10 of the respondents, or their children, expect to marry next year many have held back this year, the Year of the Rooster and people expect a wedding and baby boom next year the Year of the Dog, which is considered auspicious.

If marriage is definitely on their minds, buying a house is also a priority: 18.1 percent say they plan a move in the property market.

Industry insiders say that many urbanites have adopted a wait-and-see attitude towards buying a home this year, hoping that cooling-down measures by the central government would bring down prices in the overheated property sector.

Home appliances and furnishings are also on the shopping list, with about a quarter, or 23.1 percent, saying they have budgeted for them.

And despite increasingly-choked roads in many cities, one in 10, or 10.1 percent, want to get a set of wheels.

More will be added to the country's swelling ranks of entrepreneurs 13 percent plan to start a business in the coming year.

The survey throws up an interesting fact: people once settled in a big city are unlikely to move to another, with only 2.9 percent planning to do so.

"We also find that respondents are getting more and more upbeat about the future," said an executive of Horizon Group.

The findings showed that Chinese people's outlook confidence index has been on the increase annually since 2002.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (where 1 is very pessimistic and 5, very optimistic) the figure this year has risen to 3.86 from 3.80 in 2002.

(China Daily December 28, 2005)