China’s Urban Labor Market in Transition: New Findings from the Fifth Survey

Jia Peng*, Cheng Jie, Qu Yue

Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IPLE-CASS), Beijing,

China

Abstract: To gain an in-depth understanding of China’s urban labor market, the Institute of Population and Labor Economics at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (IPLE-CASS) conducted the fifth wave of the China Urban Labor Survey in 2023, which covers eight major representative cities. The survey collected 9,122 household questionnaires and 26,145 individual questionnaires from 381 neighborhood committees. Based on this data, the report systematically analyzes employment, wages, educational attainment, and social security among China’s urban workforce. Key findings include an inverted U-shaped age pattern of labor force participation, with a widening gender gap after childbearing age. Additionally, job search methods combine market-based channels with traditional social networks. Notably, the gender wage gap persists and widens over the life cycle, while employed women now have higher average years of schooling than men. Rural-to-urban migrants show higher labor force participation rates but remain disadvantaged in wages, education, and social security coverage. Thus, this survey provides a comprehensive picture of the structural characteristics and challenges of China’s urban labor market, providing a solid data foundation for academic research and public policy design.

Keywords: Household survey; labor market; employment; migrant population

JEL Classification Codes: C83; J21; J31

DOI: 10.19602/j.chinaeconomist.2026.01.04