By Zhang Bingzi, Research Team on “China’s Livelihood Survey”, DRC

Research Report, Special Issue, No.5, 2018 (Total 1572), 2018-4-9

Abstract: In 2017, with the rebound of China’s economic growth, the employment performance was quite sound on the whole and unemployment rate kept declining. Under the impact of various factors including family-planning policy and raising the retirement age project, the number of employees in the market showed fluctuations. Among the employed, the labor market division brought about by household registration system still exists and the proportion of temporary employment personnel has increased. With regard to labor and social security aspect, the number of employees who have affixed their signatures to labor contract is not high. As non-agricultural employees mainly depend on residents’ pension insurance, the number of urban working people participating in pension insurance programs is not high. In the future, in light of a more complex and changeable employment environment, work should be done to explore ways of hierarchical management of enterprises and labor relations positively. Small and micro-enterprises, start-up businesses and innovative firms should be enabled to apply appropriate loose labor standards and efforts should be made to protect the basic rights of workers, eliminate employment discrimination of all forms, give bigger role to social insurance system and continue to increase human capital investment.

Key words: livelihood survey, employment, structural adjustment, labor protection