Junsen Zhang
Former Editor,
Demography, family, and gender
Chinese University of Hong Kong, and IZA, Germany
IZA World of Labor role
Former Editor, Author
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- Migration and ethnicity
- Labor markets and institutions
- Transition and emerging economies
- Country labor markets
The Chinese labor market, 2000–2016
The world’s second largest economy has boomed, but a rapidly aging labor force presents substantial challenges
Junsen ZhangJia Wu, May 2018China experienced significant economic progress over the past few decades with an annual average GDP growth of approximately 10%. Population expansion has certainly been a contributing factor, but that is now changing as China rapidly ages. Rural migrants are set to play a key role in compensating for future labor shortages, but inequality is a major issue. Evidence shows that rural migrants have low-paying and undesirable jobs in urban labor markets, which points to inefficient labor allocation and discrimination that may continue to impede rural–urban migration.MoreLess