A bank staff member checks banknotes at a bank in Lianyungang, East China's Jiangsu province, Jan 7, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Statistics from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences show the gap between high-income households and low-income households is now 20 times, which constitutes a major social problem.

The 13th Five-Year Plan points out that the country needs to narrow the income gap by increasing wages for low-income workers and expanding the group with medium incomes.

In 2016, the minimum wage has been raised in five provinces - Shandong, Liaoning, Jiangsu, Hainan, and Hebei, and four cities - Tianjin, Chongqing, Shanghai, and Beijing.

Here are two stories on how China has made efforts to increase income.

Smaller wage increases flagged this year

More subsidies for workers in extreme conditions