The statistic shows the distribution of the workforce across economic sectors in China from 2013 to 2023. In 2023, around 22.8 percent of the workforce were employed in the agricultural sector, 29.1 percent in the industrial sector and 48.1 percent in the service sector. This year, the share of agriculture increased for the first time in more than two decades, which highlights the difficult situation of the labor market due to the pandemic and economic downturn at the end of the year.

Distribution of the workforce in China

In 2012, China became the largest exporting country worldwide with an export value of about two trillion U.S. dollars. China’s economic system is largely based on growth and export, with the manufacturing sector being a crucial contributor to the country’s export competitiveness. Economic development was accompanied by a steady rise of labor costs, as well as a significant slowdown in labor force growth. These changes present a serious threat to the era of China as the world’s factory. The share of workforce in agriculture also steadily decreased in China until 2021, while the agricultural gross production value displayed continuous growth, amounting to approximately 7.8 trillion yuan in 2021.

Development of the service sector

Since 2011, the largest share of China’s labor force has been employed in the service sector. However, compared with developed countries, such as Japan or the United States, where 73 and 79 percent of the work force were active in services in 2021 respectively, the proportion of people working in the tertiary sector in China has been relatively low. The Chinese government aims to continue economic reform by moving from an emphasis on investment to consumption, among other measures. This might lead to a stronger service economy. Meanwhile, the size of the urban middle class in China is growing steadily. A growing number of affluent middle class consumers could promote consumption and help China move towards a balanced economy.

In 2023, the employment rate in China decreased to around 63.09 percent, from 63.57 percent in the previous year. China is the world’s most populous country and its rapid economic development over the past decades has profited greatly from its large labor market. While the overall working conditions for the Chinese people are improving, the actual size of the working-age population in China has been shrinking steadily in recent years. This is mainly due to a low birth rate in the country.

Economic slowdown – impact on labor market

After decades of rapid development, the world’s second largest economy now seems to have difficulties to boost its economy further. The GDP growth rate indicated a declining trend over the last decade and the number of employed people decreased for the first time since decades in 2015. Under the influence of the global economic downturn, the coronavirus pandemic, and the US-China tensions, many Chinese enterprises are having tough times, which leads to a recession in China’s labor market.

Chances for better employment situation

The long-lasting Sino-U.S. trade war has caused China great loss on its international trade sector, which has been driving China’s economic growth for decades. However, there is also a lot China could improve. First, the potential of domestic demands could be further developed and satisfied with high-quality products. Second, it’s a good timing to eliminate backward industries with low value added, and the high-tech and environment-friendly industries should be further promoted. In addition, China’s market could be more open to services, especially in the financial sector and IT services, to attract more foreign investors. Highly skilled talents should be better valued in the labor market. Efficient vocational education and further education could also help change the structure of China’s labor market.

Unemployment Rate in China decreased to 5 percent in May from 5.10 percent in April of 2025. This dataset provides - China Unemployment Rate - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

Employment in services (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 45.83 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Employment in services (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Graph and download economic data for Employment to Population Ratio for China (SLEMPTOTLSPZSCHN) from 1991 to 2024 about employment-population ratio, China, employment, and population.

The graph shows the number of employed people in China from 2014 to 2024. In 2024, the workforce in China amounted to around 734.4 million people. This marked an annual decrease of six million and is in line with a general downward trend since 2014. Workforce in China China’s total population has been declining since 2022 and dropped by 1.4 million annually to around 1.408 billion as of the end of 2024. This development is also reflected in the number of people in working age which has been shrinking since 2014. The labor force of China, which refers to the population aged 16 and over and capable of working, has been declining since 2016 and ranged at around 772.2 million in 2023. Out of the total number of employed people in 2023, about 470.3 million people were employed in urban areas, while 270.1 million people were working in rural areas. Distribution of the workforce The share of the workforce employed in the primary sector declined significantly from 36.7 percent in 2010 to 22.8 percent in 2023, only interrupted in 2022 by effects related to the COVID-19 pandemic. While the percentage of people employed in the primary sector decreased, the tertiary sector gained importance. As of 2023, about 29.1 percent of Chinese workers were employed in secondary and 48.1 percent in tertiary industries. The share of the workforce employed in the secondary sector increased until 2012 but decreased thereafter due to China's shift towards a service driven economy.

Employment in industry (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 31.84 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Employment in industry (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

China Total Employment data was reported at 733,510.000 Person th in 2022. This records a decrease from the previous number of 746,520.000 Person th for 2021. China Total Employment data is updated yearly, averaging 746,470.000 Person th from Dec 1990 (Median) to 2022, with 33 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 763,490.000 Person th in 2014 and a record low of 647,490.000 Person th in 1990. China Total Employment data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.OECD.MSTI: Population, Labour Force and Employment: Non OECD Member: Annual.

The national breakdown by source of funds does not fully match with the classification defined in the Frascati Manual. The R&D financed by the government, business enterprises, and by the rest of the world can be retrieved but part of the expenditure has no specific source of financing, i.e. self-raised funding (in particular for independent research institutions), the funds from the higher education sector and left-over government grants from previous years.

The government and higher education sectors cover all fields of NSE and SSH while the business enterprise sector only covers the fields of NSE. There are only few organisations in the private non-profit sector, hence no R&D survey has been carried out in this sector and the data are not available.

From 2009, researcher data are collected according to the Frascati Manual definition of researcher. Beforehand, this was only the case for independent research institutions, while for the other sectors data were collected according to the UNESCO concept of “scientist and engineer”.

In 2009, the survey coverage in the business and the government sectors has been expanded.

Before 2000, all of the personnel data and 95% of the expenditure data in the business enterprise sector are for large and medium-sized enterprises only. Since 2000 however, the survey covers almost all industries and all enterprises above a certain threshold. In 2000 and 2004, a census of all enterprises was held, while in the intermediate years data for small enterprises are estimated.

Due to the reform of the S&T system some government institutions have become enterprises, and their R&D data have been reflected in the Business Enterprise sector since 2000.

China resumed the release of youth unemployment data in January 2024 after publication had been suspended for six months, using a new statistical methodology. Youth unemployment hit a record high of 21.3 percent in June 2023 after having increased for several years in a row, when a spokesman of the National Bureau of Statistics of China announced that the statistical methodology for calculating age specific unemployment rates needed improvement and publication would be temporarily suspended. The new methodology does not include university students anymore, resulting in a youth unemployment rate of **** percent in May 2025. Youth jobless figures fluctuate over the year and normally peak in July in China, when the largest number of graduates enter the job market.

Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 22.33 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Employment in agriculture (% of total employment) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.

Self-employed, total (% of total employment) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 45.31 % in 2023, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Self-employed; total (% of total employed) - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Job Vacancies in China decreased to 4380000 in the fourth quarter of 2018 from 4890000 in the third quarter of 2018. This dataset provides - China Job Vacancies - actual values, historical data, forecast, chart, statistics, economic calendar and news.

China Employment: Secondary Industry data was reported at 215.200 Person mn in 2023. This records an increase from the previous number of 211.050 Person mn for 2022. China Employment: Secondary Industry data is updated yearly, averaging 118.510 Person mn from Dec 1952 (Median) to 2023, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 232.260 Person mn in 2012 and a record low of 15.310 Person mn in 1952. China Employment: Secondary Industry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.GB: Employment.

China Employment: Primary Industry data was reported at 168.820 Person mn in 2023. This records a decrease from the previous number of 176.630 Person mn for 2022. China Employment: Primary Industry data is updated yearly, averaging 285.155 Person mn from Dec 1952 (Median) to 2023, with 72 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 390.981 Person mn in 1991 and a record low of 154.900 Person mn in 1958. China Employment: Primary Industry data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.GB: Employment.

China Number of Job Postings: Active data was reported at 321,310.000 Unit in 05 May 2025. This records an increase from the previous number of 315,793.000 Unit for 28 Apr 2025. China Number of Job Postings: Active data is updated weekly, averaging 17,035.000 Unit from Jan 2008 (Median) to 05 May 2025, with 905 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 1,108,834.000 Unit in 16 Aug 2021 and a record low of 0.000 Unit in 26 Jan 2009. China Number of Job Postings: Active data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Revelio Labs, Inc.. The data is categorized under Global Database’s China – Table CN.RL.JP: Number of Job Postings: Active: by Industry.

China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data was reported at 3,080.000 Person th in Mar 2025. This records a decrease from the previous number of 12,560.000 Person th for Dec 2024. China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data is updated quarterly, averaging 9,310.000 Person th from Dec 2004 (Median) to Mar 2025, with 71 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,610.000 Person th in Dec 2018 and a record low of 2,290.000 Person th in Mar 2020. China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GB: Employment.

In 2024, around *** million people were employed in urban areas of China, while around *** million were employed in rural areas. The number of urban employees has increased considerably over the last decades. However, the growth of the urban workforce is slowing down as the total number of employees in China has already been decreasing since 2014.

China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data was reported at 12,000.000 Person th in Oct 2018. This records an increase from the previous number of 11,070.000 Person th for Sep 2018. China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data is updated monthly, averaging 7,520.000 Person th from Jan 2013 (Median) to Oct 2018, with 69 observations. The data reached an all-time high of 13,510.000 Person th in Dec 2017 and a record low of 870.000 Person th in Jan 2017. China Employment: Urban: New Increased: Year to Date data remains active status in CEIC and is reported by Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. The data is categorized under China Premium Database’s Labour Market – Table CN.GB: Employment.

Employment to population ratio, 15+, total (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 62.4 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Employment to population ratio, 15+, total - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on July of 2025.

Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male (%) (modeled ILO estimate) in China was reported at 41.78 % in 2024, according to the World Bank collection of development indicators, compiled from officially recognized sources. China - Employment to population ratio, ages 15-24, male - actual values, historical data, forecasts and projections were sourced from the World Bank on June of 2025.