On December 19th, 2021, The 11th China Labor Market Development Forum & Press Conference ofChina Labor Market Development Report2021was held successfully in Jingshi Hotel, BNU. Zhang Chewei, Director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, and President of the Association of Labor Economics, Yu Xingan, Member of the CPPCC National Committee and President of the Chinese Academy of Personnel Sciences, Yin Jiankun, First Class Inspector of Employment Promotion Department, Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Yang Weiguo, Dean of School of Labor and Human Resources, Renmin University of China, Feng Xiliang, Dean of school of Labor Economics of Capital University of Economics and Trade, Sun Zhijun, Party Secretary of BNUBS, and leaders and experts from Beijing Normal University, Renmin University of China, University of International Business and Economics and other institutions attended the conference. The conference was held online and offline. The press conference was hosted by Cai Hongbo, AssociateDean of BNUBS, the seminar was hosted by Li Changan, Professor of School of Public Administration of University of International Business and Economics.

The Labor Market Development Report2021is the 11th report on labor market development released by the Center, which is organized by the Center for Labor Market Studies of Beijing Normal University. Professor Lai Desheng, the host,Deputy Director of the Social and Ecological Civilization Teaching and Research Department of The Party School of the CPC Central Committee (National School of Governance), introduced in his speech that China has entered a new stage of development and has made major adjustments in its development themes, goals and driving forces. China's labor market will also face structural adjustment, the labor market's factor allocation efficiency will directly affect the high-quality economic development, the masses of the pursuit of a better life and the realization of common prosperity.In the new stage of development, fuller and higher quality employment is the key to building a new development pattern dominated by the domestic cycle and mutually reinforcing both domestic and international cycles. 

Dr. Gao Chunlei, Beijing Executive Academy of Trade Unions released the main content of the Report. The Report points out that the new stage of development requires labor market to change. These changes are:the development theme of the new development stage requires the labor market to take the improvement of employment quality as the core; making the real economy stronger and better requires the labor market to take the initiative to make structural adjustments; the effective implementation of the strategy of expanding domestic demand and common prosperity needs to improve the income level of workers and income distribution pattern; the rapid development of the digital economy and the “three Innovations” model has increased the importance of new forms of employment; the smooth circulation of national economy requires the improvement of allocation efficiency of labor factors; green development will create a lot of green jobs in the long run.       

The Report makes a detailed analysis of the new trends and features of China's labor market reform in recent years from the perspectives of employment structure, employment quality, new employment forms, green employment, urban agglomeration employment, aging and employment, as well as employment in the context of new development pattern and common prosperity. And eight trends were revealed in the Report. They are: First, the restructuring of employment will accelerate; Second, the overall quality of employment has shown differentiated improvement; Third, new forms of employment will become the new normal; Fourth, green employment will become a new trend; Fifth, the spatial pattern of the labor market will be reshaped; Sixth, urban and rural labor markets will be more integrated; Seventh, labor market policies will go through deep adjustment; Eighth, the employment-first policy will be strengthened across the country.

In view of this, the report identifies nine policy options for addressing labor market changes: First, we will strengthen the foundation for employment with a people-centered approach; Second, we should take development as the basis and key to solving the employment problem; Third, we will further strengthen the policy of giving priority to employment; Fourth, we will continue to upgrade and optimize the employment structure; Fifth, we will continue to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation; Sixth, we will improve the policy system for protecting labor rights and interests of new forms of employment; Seventh, we will further strengthen policies on labor market integration; Eighth, we will vigorously promote the replacement of the demographic dividend with the quality dividend; Ninth, we will actively yet prudently advance the policy of delaying retirement.

The release of the Report aroused heated discussion among experts at the meeting. They congratulated and appreciated the publication of the Report on China's Labor Market for 11 consecutive years and conducted in-depth theoretical and policy discussions on important frontier issues such as emerging labor market, high-quality employment, full employment, green employment and new forms of employment. The series of reports has become a brand in the field of Chinese labor market research, and has gained great academic reputation and social influence. It is the landmark result of a series of research reports supported by BNUBS. It provides a lot of valuable reference for government departments to make decisions, and also sets a model for telling the Chinese story of labor market and responding to the question of the Times of labor market.

Provided by Center for Labor Market Studies

Edited by Han Lili

Reviewed by Sun Zhijun