By Jia Shen, Department of Development Strategy and Regional Economy, DRC

Research Report, No.130, 2020 (Total 5874) 2020-5-29

Abstract: During the 13th Five-Year Plan period, the urbanization rate of permanent residents and the number of registered population in China have both increased, the total amount and proportion of urban employment have continued to rise, and the urban consumption and investment as well as non-agricultural industries have made important contributions to stabilizing economic growth. In view of the experience of typical late movers, there is still much room for urbanization drive after China’s per capita GDP reaches $10,000 and the urbanization rate 60%. Affected by declining economic growth and economic structural adjustment, China is faced with the slowdown of urban employment and urban population growth, the decline in the proportion of mid-to-high-income urban job opportunities, the weakening of the development momentum of urbanization in the central and western regions, and the insufficient supply of high-quality public services in urban areas. With regard to the new type of urbanization project by 2035, we need to continue to increase the urbanization rate of permanent residents and registered residents as our future goal. By way of increasing the proportion of added value in scientific research and education and the proportion of employment, we need to take coordinated and balanced development as the guiding principle, and promote high-quality urbanization through relevant reforms and policies.

Keywords: urbanization, employment structure, the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025)