Average base pay for HR managers in China is more than double that of their counterparts in India, according to a survey by Mercer Human Resource Consulting.

In fact, average base pay is higher in China in 95 percent of the 42 jobs that Mercer analyzed.

The survey found that HR managers in China earn $32,000 on average compared to $15,100 in India. Project managers and financial analysts earn $23,400 and $13,200 respectively in China compared with $10,000 and $8,400 in India.

At the lower end of the salary scale, customer service assistants receive $2,400 a year in China compared with just $1,600 in India, while skilled production workers earn $2,300 in China compared to $1,900 in India.

"Although wage costs are lower in India, there is a high demand for skilled workers there, particularly at the executive level," says Mark Sullivan of Mercer. "If demand continues to outweigh supply, then we can expect wages to increase substantially over the next few years. The challenge for employers is to make sure they retain their top staff and equip lower-level employees with the necessary skills to move up the organization."