https://www.scmp.com/rss/509782/feed China has always placed a high priority on support for the jobs market, seeing a high level of employment as connected to overall social stability. In addition, the working element of the country’s 1.4 billion population is a key for driving economic growth. A major concern for Beijing is ensuring employment for the rising number of fresh university and college graduates who enter the work force every year, as well as the rising number of retires who need to be supported via the pension fund by... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China is better positioned than many other nations to lead in artificial intelligence due to the public’s “strikingly positive” attitude towards the technology, according to a new survey by University College London. Less than 10 per cent of respondents in China worried that AI would make it harder to find a job and about one-third believed the technology would create more high-skilled work, the survey found. A whopping 96 per cent of Chinese people surveyed said they used AI at work every week... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354861/less-10-chinese-public-worried-about-ai-destroying-jobs-survey?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354861/less-10-chinese-public-worried-about-ai-destroying-jobs-survey?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 07:00:09 +0000 SCMP Plus SCMP Plus This report was translated from Chinese into English using Alibaba’s Qwen3, then checked and tweaked for accuracy by a South China Morning Post journalist. It is for reference only, and is not the official English version of the original Chinese document. Alibaba owns the SCMP. https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354850/china-expands-migrant-workers-access-public-services?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/plus/economy/china-economy/article/3354850/china-expands-migrant-workers-access-public-services?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 04:37:01 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li Will artificial intelligence dampen China’s already sluggish job market? According to various employment sites, openings for AI professionals are surging across a range of sectors. Recruitment platform Zhilian Zhaopin reported on Wednesday that listings on the site for AI product managers rose by 81 per cent year on year while demand for technical positions – such as AI engineers and AI data trainers – grew by 17 per cent during the same period. “Companies across all sectors are now hiring AI... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354669/wanted-ai-professionals-lean-chinas-surging-demand-future-tech?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354669/wanted-ai-professionals-lean-chinas-surging-demand-future-tech?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 May 2026 08:13:05 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings Banking giant HSBC on Friday nearly halved its forecast for China’s retail sales growth in 2026, after weak April data underscored pressures in the labour market and property sector, as well as slowing momentum in Beijing’s consumer goods trade-in programme. The bank cut its forecast to 2.8 per cent from 5.2 per cent projected in March, after official April retail sales data came in below expectations at 0.2 per cent year-on-year growth – the softest reading since late 2022 during the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354561/hsbc-cuts-china-retail-sales-forecast-nearly-half-property-and-jobs-weigh-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3354561/hsbc-cuts-china-retail-sales-forecast-nearly-half-property-and-jobs-weigh-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 22 May 2026 11:17:27 +0000 He Huifeng,Xinyi Wu He Huifeng,Xinyi Wu The Chinese economy showed signs of slowing in April, as industrial output, retail sales and fixed-asset investment all missed expectations amid a deepening global energy crisis, the latest data shows. Retail sales rose by just 0.2 per cent year on year in April, well below the 1.7 per cent growth recorded in March, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on Monday. Economists polled by the Yicai Research Institute had forecast a 2 per cent increase. China’s industrial... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353914/chinas-economy-shows-signs-strain-april-iran-war-headwinds-grow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3353914/chinas-economy-shows-signs-strain-april-iran-war-headwinds-grow?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 02:06:12 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China’s rapidly growing low-altitude economy has reached a new milestone, with the first four domestically trained commercial airship pilots receiving their licences – a step officials believe could help address a critical talent shortage in the sector. Issued by the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the licences “signify a breakthrough that addresses the vacuum”, the state-owned Aviation Industry Corporation of China (AVIC) said in a statement this week. AVIC said the achievement... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352833/china-marks-milestone-first-home-certified-airship-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352833/china-marks-milestone-first-home-certified-airship-pilots?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 03:00:31 +0000 Alice Yan Alice Yan A Shanghai company has been ordered to pay a woman employee 690,000 yuan (US$101,000) for illegally firing her because her husband works for a rival firm. Xuhui District People’s Court made the ruling in Shanghai in late April, the Yangtze Evening News reported. The woman, surnamed Liu, started working at the company in 2006. The firm’s name was not disclosed in the report, only that it operates in the property management industry. At the end of 2023, Liu received a notice from her employer... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3352622/china-woman-fired-due-husbands-rival-firm-job-receives-us101000-unjust-dismissal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/trending-china/article/3352622/china-woman-fired-due-husbands-rival-firm-job-receives-us101000-unjust-dismissal?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 10:00:06 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng The eight-year-old son of Guangzhou businessman Terry Fang recently arrived at a blunt conclusion: Chinese tech is “cool”. The boy’s impression was formed not in the classroom, or even online, but through repeated exposure to real-world industrial settings. Earlier this year, Fang took his children to a local low-altitude aviation company, where they watched electric vertical take-off and landing aircraft navigate and avoid obstacles in real time. For China’s urban middle class, hi-tech... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352023/how-chinas-industrial-tourism-boom-creating-new-generation-tech-savvy-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352023/how-chinas-industrial-tourism-boom-creating-new-generation-tech-savvy-children?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 03:00:14 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings One of the world’s largest online travel agencies expects to attract 200 million visitor arrivals to China over the next five years, helping to boost economic growth and reduce the country’s services trade deficit, according to domestic media reports. James Liang, board chairman of online travel agency Trip.com, said the projected influx would help turn China into the world’s top tourism destination, according to reports published on Wednesday. He was quoted as saying that inbound tourism could... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352025/tripcom-aims-bring-200-million-tourists-china-over-5-years-buoying-gdp-growth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352025/tripcom-aims-bring-200-million-tourists-china-over-5-years-buoying-gdp-growth?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 00:00:17 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial China has the world’s largest army of gig workers, numbering 200 million. Many work long hours under harsh conditions with unpredictable pay. Beijing is now drawing up regulations to offer better protection. Hong Kong, which also has a substantial number of gig workers, will follow suit after pledging improvement last year. Those workers form the backbone of China’s rising consumer society, yet they enjoy few benefits, unlike full-time staff. Technology-driven businesses have outrun legislation,... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3351944/china-moves-towards-better-protecting-its-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3351944/china-moves-towards-better-protecting-its-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 23:15:10 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Beijing has pledged to expand vocational training for young jobseekers this year, as it looks to help millions of unemployed graduates find work in emerging industries such as robotics and AI. But the policy drive – which includes plans to encourage university graduates to return to technical school – has drawn mixed reactions from a generation already hit hard by China’s youth unemployment crunch. The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security vowed on Tuesday to upskill 1 million young... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352006/china-sparks-backlash-plan-send-jobless-graduates-vocational-school?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352006/china-sparks-backlash-plan-send-jobless-graduates-vocational-school?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Phoebe Zhang Phoebe Zhang Foreign forces are using social media to spread the notion that young Chinese people should be “lying flat” and not working hard as they seek to undermine China’s development, the country’s top anti-espionage agency has warned. The Ministry of State Security cautioned that anti-China forces were trying to magnify social anxiety by continuously “promoting negative notions” that effort was futile and hard work made no gain. The intention was to “erode the spirit of perseverance among China’s youth... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3351681/foreign-forces-promote-lying-flat-messages-undermine-chinas-economy-mss?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3351681/foreign-forces-promote-lying-flat-messages-undermine-chinas-economy-mss?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings China’s population is projected to fall by about 60 million over the next decade, threatening economic activity in wealthier coastal provinces and putting growing pressure on the public pension system, according to recent analyst reports. Research firm Rhodium Group estimated that the world’s second-most populous country, after India, could lose the equivalent of nearly France’s entire population over the coming 10 years. In a nation of 1.41 billion people, a decline of this scale would weigh on... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351597/china-faces-france-sized-demographic-loss-threatens-coastal-growth-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351597/china-faces-france-sized-demographic-loss-threatens-coastal-growth-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:15 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen The long-standing rivalry between China’s two largest economic heavyweights – with each boasting a gross domestic product comparable to Group of Seven members Italy and Canada – reflects the regional dynamism and shifting economic gravity within the world’s second-biggest economy. Jiangsu has been threatening to end Guangdong’s uninterrupted reign as China’s largest provincial economy since the late 1980s, and the latest economic data reveals the gap between the two narrowed further in the first... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351572/guangdongs-rule-chinas-gdp-king-faces-unprecedented-threat-crown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3351572/guangdongs-rule-chinas-gdp-king-faces-unprecedented-threat-crown?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:30:14 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China has vowed to better protect the country’s vast gig-economy workforce, as an economic slowdown leads millions of people to sign up for delivery, ride-hailing and other informal jobs on online platforms. The 12-point plan – issued by the State Council, China’s cabinet, and the Communist Party’s powerful Central Committee – pledges stronger labour protections for “new employment groups”, or gig workers, across a number of areas. The document calls for timely and fair wage payments, a stronger... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351571/china-outlines-new-labour-protection-plan-nations-200-million-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351571/china-outlines-new-labour-protection-plan-nations-200-million-gig-workers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 12:00:10 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Despite China’s stronger-than-expected first-quarter economic growth, young jobseekers found little respite as March brought a rise in youth unemployment across urban areas, snapping six straight months of decline. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged up to 16.9 per cent in March from 16.1 per cent in February, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Tuesday. The job market, weighed down by deflationary pressures and external... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350813/chinas-youth-unemployment-crunch-deepens-record-graduation-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350813/chinas-youth-unemployment-crunch-deepens-record-graduation-season-looms?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 03:53:36 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Qiu has been scouring Shanghai’s labour agencies for a job for her 58-year-old father – a former mechanic from neighbouring Jiangsu province caught in a frustrating limbo. While he is still years away from the official retirement age for rural migrants, his struggle to find work underscores a paradox in China’s financial hub: even as the city desperately needs more workers to counter a shrinking population, ageing jobseekers are being met with high fees and physical exhaustion. His search... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350484/more-jobs-elderly-shanghai-eyes-senior-labour-force-amid-china-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3350484/more-jobs-elderly-shanghai-eyes-senior-labour-force-amid-china-demographic-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Xinyi Wu,Mia Nurmamat Xinyi Wu,Mia Nurmamat China’s economy grew 5 per cent year on year in the first quarter, beating market expectations despite the global impact of the US-Israel war in Iran, which analysts said indicates the country remains on track to meet its full-year growth target without the need for near-term stimulus. The closely watched gross domestic product growth figure, released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on Thursday, beat the 4.86 per cent forecast by economists polled by financial data provider Wind. It... https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3350237/china-records-5-gdp-growth-first-quarter-track-annual-target?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/economic-indicators/article/3350237/china-records-5-gdp-growth-first-quarter-track-annual-target?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 02:00:21 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s top intelligence agency has warned university students to be wary of lucrative job postings that may serve as covers for foreign espionage, as they begin searching for work ahead of a record graduation season. Offers such as earning 800 yuan (US$117) a day for remote data processing or research projects promising easy money could be “traps” to recruit students to illegally collect sensitive information for foreign intelligence agencies, the Ministry of State Security said. “Be wary of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349670/china-warns-university-students-beware-well-paid-jobs-offered-foreign-spies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349670/china-warns-university-students-beware-well-paid-jobs-offered-foreign-spies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 08:00:12 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen President Xi Jinping has signalled a renewed focus on China’s services sector, calling for a demand- and tech-led strategy to reshape growth and create jobs, as policymakers met to chart the path forward. “The focus must be on demand-driven development and reforms as well as empowerment by technologies,” Xi said in a message to a two-day conference on the sector that concluded on Wednesday, according to state-run news agency Xinhua. Highlighting the role of services in tackling some of China’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349415/xi-jinping-backs-services-sector-power-chinas-next-growth-phase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3349415/xi-jinping-backs-services-sector-power-chinas-next-growth-phase?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2026 13:30:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang The threat to employment posed by artificial intelligence was not a “robot apocalypse” that would steal jobs, but “algorithmic collusion” that could quietly erode wages and workplace safety, Ekkehard Ernst, the International Labour Organization’s chief macroeconomist, warned in Beijing on Tuesday. While public anxiety frequently centred on the potential for AI to trigger a mass wave of unemployment, Ernst said its disruptive potential had been overestimated. “I don’t think that we are anywhere... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348124/ai-collusion-forcing-down-wages-bigger-threat-job-stealing-robots-ilo-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3348124/ai-collusion-forcing-down-wages-bigger-threat-job-stealing-robots-ilo-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Mar 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Ji Siqi Ji Siqi Chinese government advisers are calling for government-set “red lines” in artificial intelligence development and applications, as mounting threats of job displacement and data security challenges spark concerns in the country. Jiang Xiaojuan, former deputy secretary general of the State Council, said at the Boao Forum for Asia annual conference in Hainan province that precaution was needed when using AI simply to reduce labour costs. “Those that do not improve service quality or promote... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347940/job-fears-security-risks-spark-call-chinese-government-red-lines-ai-applications?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347940/job-fears-security-risks-spark-call-chinese-government-red-lines-ai-applications?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Emma Zang Emma Zang China is betting artificial intelligence will solve its labour shortage, as policymakers ramp up a nationwide push to deploy AI and robotics across the economy. But it may be worsening a different problem: the erosion of stable jobs for young workers. China’s push has accelerated investment in industrial automation, installing more than half of the world’s robots in 2024 alone and doubling down on AI-enabled production. The strategy is presented as a necessary response to the demographic... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3347386/why-chinas-ai-automation-push-risky-social-experiment?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Mar 2026 12:30:10 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings About two out of every five professionals in China expect no pay rise this year after more than half missed out on one last year, with both figures higher than the Asian average, according to survey data gathered by a recruiting firm – a trend suggesting further pessimism among an already dissatisfied workforce. London-based recruitment firm Hays found that 44 per cent of professionals in China – the highest share anywhere in Asia – anticipate no salary increase in 2026. Six per cent expect a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347176/survey-shows-chinas-professionals-have-high-expectations-low-pay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3347176/survey-shows-chinas-professionals-have-high-expectations-low-pay?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 15:00:10 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu China’s urban youth unemployment rate fell in February for the sixth consecutive month, though the marginal improvement provides little reprieve for jobseekers in a challenging post-holiday labour market. The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged down to 16.1 per cent in February from 16.3 per cent in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. The figure has been gradually declining since August, when a record 12.2 million... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346838/chinas-youth-unemployment-falls-sixth-consecutive-month-february?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 19 Mar 2026 07:57:31 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Declining fertility rates have long been viewed as a drag on economic growth, but the outlook may not be entirely bleak for Asian economies such as China, South Korea and Japan, analysts said. Demographic pressure was accelerating investment in robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) in these rapidly ageing yet technologically advanced countries, helping offset labour shortages and sustain productivity even as populations shrank, they argued. Analysts at Bank of America (BofA) Global Research... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346475/chinas-ai-adoption-may-limit-economic-fallout-its-rapidly-ageing-population-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 06:58:35 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu Some Chinese lawmakers and advisers are pushing to secure higher pensions for elderly farmers, underscoring the persistent income disparity between the country’s urban and rural residents. The latest government work report, approved on Thursday, confirmed a 20-yuan (US$2.91) monthly increase to basic pension payments for a third consecutive year, bringing the national minimum to 163 yuan. However, some deputies from China’s top legislature contend that this level is inadequate. “A pension of... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3346368/chinas-rural-pensions-focus-lawmakers-fight-farmers-fair-share-amid-income-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:11 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s spring hiring season is revealing a sharp surge in demand for artificial intelligence talent as companies speed up the deployment of related technologies, turning it into one of the country’s hottest professional fields. The number of AI-related job postings in China in the first two months of the year grew about 12-fold year on year, far outpacing growth in other “new-economy” industries such as healthcare, renewable energy and semiconductors, People’s Daily reported on Tuesday, citing... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346244/demand-ai-talent-china-outpaces-job-postings-other-new-economy-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3346244/demand-ai-talent-china-outpaces-job-postings-other-new-economy-sectors?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Mar 2026 11:29:44 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Beijing should increase investment in early childhood education and lifelong learning as AI reshapes the world’s largest labour market, a prominent Chinese economist has said. The real policy test for China is whether it can shift decisively from investing in capital to investing in people, while policy and regulation must steer artificial intelligence (AI) towards empowering rather than replacing workers, according to Cai Fang, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences focusing... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3345288/china-should-education-spending-help-population-adapt-ai-era-economist?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3345288/china-should-education-spending-help-population-adapt-ai-era-economist?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 03 Mar 2026 23:00:07 +0000 Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Xinyi Wu Ji Siqi,Coco Feng,Xinyi Wu On a day typically considered one of the happiest on the calendar for Chinese workers – the eve of Chinese New Year, when families gather for dinner in the midst of an extended public holiday – the annual Spring Festival Gala, the world’s most-watched television programme, left some in the viewing audience with a sense of profound disillusionment. As a troupe of humanoid robots break-danced, flipped, swung swords and performed comedy sketches at the gala, domestic AI brands occupied the show’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344920/iron-rice-bowl-vs-algorithm-why-chinas-economy-may-better-withstand-ai-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344920/iron-rice-bowl-vs-algorithm-why-chinas-economy-may-better-withstand-ai-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 28 Feb 2026 22:00:19 +0000 Xinyi Wu Xinyi Wu When the results of China’s gruelling National Higher Education Entrance Examination – or gaokao – were released last summer, Lin Gangming was surprised to learn that he had scored high enough to attend some of the country’s top universities. But instead of chasing prestige, the student from Yangjiang, a small coastal city in Guangdong province, chose a different path: Shenzhen Polytechnic University – a public undergraduate vocational college in the province. Stories like Lin’s, covered by the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3344145/chinas-vocational-degrees-rising-students-seek-skills-over-prestigious-universities?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 22 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng As China’s workforce heads into another year-end bonus season ahead of the Lunar New Year, the mood is colder than in previous cycles. Unlike a few years ago, when social media was flooded with posts flaunting outsized payouts, public talk of bonuses has largely faded from view. Long viewed by Chinese employees as a barometer of corporate prospects, industry momentum and even the broader economy, the year-end bonus packages for 2025 have become smaller, rarer and far more unevenly distributed,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342055/chinas-companies-cut-back-year-end-bonuses-profit-margins-narrow?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342055/chinas-companies-cut-back-year-end-bonuses-profit-margins-narrow?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 17 Feb 2026 02:00:09 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s marriage registrations edged up in 2025, offering a glimmer of hope for the birth outlook this year, but analysts caution that deeper demographic headwinds remain entrenched and difficult to reverse without broader policy support. China recorded 6.76 million marriage registrations nationwide in 2025, according to the Ministry of Civil Affairs, marking a 10.8 per cent increase from a year earlier, or 657,000 more couples. The number of marriage registrations is closely watched in China,... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3343330/chinas-marriage-rebound-will-more-2025-knots-bring-more-baby-bumps-2026?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Feb 2026 01:00:08 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng Over 10 million students graduate from Chinese universities every year, straining an already crowded labour market. Yet the “micro drama” industry is emerging as a crucial lifeline for hundreds of thousands of young jobseekers: offering the chance to turn creativity into a stable pay cheque. The sector was estimated to directly generate about 690,000 jobs in 2025 – mostly for young people – and over 2 million positions when counting upstream and downstream roles, according to a recent report by... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342809/chinas-micro-drama-industry-emerges-jobs-lifeline-tough-graduate-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342809/chinas-micro-drama-industry-emerges-jobs-lifeline-tough-graduate-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 09:00:08 +0000 Justin Diamond Justin Diamond Western media and policymakers enjoy wagging their fingers at China’s industrial “overcapacity”, which in reality is simply the ability to produce solar panels, batteries, electric vehicles, steel and other goods more cheaply and efficiently than others can. Yes, some industries are subsidised, but they also benefit immensely from rapid growth in technical know-how and economies of scale. China hasn’t really built too much; it’s just built too efficiently for the comfort of its competitors. The... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342379/how-us-can-actually-benefit-chinas-overcapacity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3342379/how-us-can-actually-benefit-chinas-overcapacity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 08 Feb 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun Defying a tight domestic job market, a record wave of overseas graduates is flooding back to China, eager to snatch up opportunities in its fast-growing tech and advanced manufacturing sectors. The influx, up 12 per cent in 2025 to an eight-year high, signals “determined confidence” among globally trained talent, according to findings by job-recruitment platform Zhaopin. And the robustness of this homecoming trend, at 2.25 times the 2018 level, points to a “sustained trend” in domestic... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3342123/more-overseas-chinese-grads-return-brain-gain-powers-future-home-grown-frontiers?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Feb 2026 15:00:15 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo After testing Tesla’s driver assistance system FSD earlier this month, Chinese economist Ren Zeping exclaimed that autonomous driving’s large-scale real-world implementation was progressing much faster than he thought. Though driverless taxis are so far only being tested in designated areas in Chinese cities, he prophesied that autonomous driving would soon become widespread. “Autonomous driving will erupt in the next couple of years. Large models enable a unified driving paradigm, letting tens... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341532/ai-driving-seat-china-moves-rein-job-displacement-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341532/ai-driving-seat-china-moves-rein-job-displacement-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 11:00:11 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li As China’s two largest cities by economic output, Beijing and Shanghai are widely seen as barometers for the country’s broader economic performance. In 2025, Beijing’s gross domestic product reached 5.2 trillion yuan (US$748 billion), making it the second Chinese city to cross the 5-trillion-yuan mark after Shanghai, which breached the threshold in 2024 and did so again in 2025 with a GDP of 5.67 trillion yuan. Based on last year’s figures, each city’s economic size is comparable to that of a... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341382/tale-two-megacities-how-did-beijing-and-shanghais-gdps-surpass-5-trillion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341382/tale-two-megacities-how-did-beijing-and-shanghais-gdps-surpass-5-trillion-yuan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 29 Jan 2026 00:00:14 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Education in China’s countryside should shift away from rote-based learning to focus on nurturing curiosity and creativity in the artificial intelligence era, Alibaba Group Holding founder Jack Ma said in a meeting with rural teachers on Monday. In remarks published by the Jack Ma Foundation on Tuesday, former English teacher Ma said the dawn of the AI era posed a challenge for rural education, but also presented an opportunity to “return to the fundamentals of education”. Alibaba owns the South... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341543/teach-our-children-well-jack-ma-urges-changes-chinas-rural-education-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3341543/teach-our-children-well-jack-ma-urges-changes-chinas-rural-education-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 11:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China appears to have sent a message to the market with a recent 67 million yuan (US$9.7 million) fine on an unregistered education firm: the government is not planning to reverse its ban on after-school tutoring any time soon. With Beijing striving to boost consumption and create jobs, there had been growing speculation that authorities might relax their restrictions on private academic tutoring – an industry that had been worth tens of billions of dollars before the 2021 ban. But that now... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341405/china-crushes-rumours-after-school-tutoring-comeback-huge-fine?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341405/china-crushes-rumours-after-school-tutoring-comeback-huge-fine?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 He Huifeng He Huifeng China’s premier manufacturing hub is recalibrating its economic ambitions, with policymakers in the industrial heartland of Guangdong setting a cautious growth target for 2026, signalling a strategic shift amid intensifying external pressures and internal regional imbalances. The southern province, bordering Hong Kong, expects its gross domestic product to grow between 4.5 and 5 per cent this year, its governor, Meng Fanli, said on Monday while delivering the annual government work report at the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341259/chinas-manufacturing-powerhouse-cuts-2026-gdp-growth-target-after-missing-mark?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341259/chinas-manufacturing-powerhouse-cuts-2026-gdp-growth-target-after-missing-mark?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China has recorded a five-year peak in the number of provincial governments raising minimum wages, official data showed, as Beijing pledges to “invest in people” to support economic growth over the course of its latest five-year plan. Twenty-seven of the mainland’s 31 provincial-level jurisdictions have increased monthly minimum wages over the past year, with half introducing double-digit rises – outpacing China’s 5 per cent gross domestic product growth rate in 2025 – according to the Post’s... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341028/china-raises-minimum-wages-amid-drive-boost-household-spending?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3341028/china-raises-minimum-wages-amid-drive-boost-household-spending?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 25 Jan 2026 08:00:13 +0000 Kandy Wong,Alice Li Kandy Wong,Alice Li China’s youth unemployment rate fell slightly in December for the fourth consecutive month, though competition for jobs remains intense as policymakers confront deflationary pressures and a labour market marked by a growing mismatch between skills and vacancies. The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 16.5 per cent last month from 16.9 per cent in November, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday. That figure has eased since... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340807/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-december-beijing-pledges-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3340807/chinas-youth-unemployment-rate-falls-slightly-december-beijing-pledges-more-support?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 22 Jan 2026 07:09:20 +0000 Frank Chen Frank Chen For years, many of mainland China’s art students dreamed of working or studying in Europe. After hours spent poring over the works of the continent’s masters as part of their degree requirements, living where their pieces are preserved, displayed and appreciated would seem a natural fit. But with funding and hiring freezes striking numerous overseas art programmes and museums, that path grows less appealing by the day. Now, rather than relocate to a new continent to further their studies, more... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3338750/mainland-chinas-art-grads-sculpt-career-passports-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 22:00:13 +0000 Anthony W.D. Anastasi Anthony W.D. Anastasi If you were asked which middle-income country has one of the lowest levels of educational attainment, very few would say China. We continually hear stories about mass university expansion, record numbers of annual graduates and elite institutions that rank among the world’s best. Despite these impressive strides, gaps in education remain a large roadblock for China’s further economic development. The country remains largely undereducated for its level of economic development: only about 31 per... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339187/why-chinas-next-development-priority-must-be-secondary-education?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3339187/why-chinas-next-development-priority-must-be-secondary-education?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek has updated the technical paper of its landmark R1 model, showcasing the contributions of the 18 core scientists who powered its AI ambitions and capabilities, as anticipation heightened about a potential new major model release. The paper suggested that DeepSeek retained all 18 scientists behind its AI model development efforts, as well as many of the R1 project’s 176 contributors, despite fierce competition for talent in China’s AI industry. The... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3339215/core-chinese-research-team-behind-cutting-edge-ai-model-r1-remains-intact-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3339215/core-chinese-research-team-behind-cutting-edge-ai-model-r1-remains-intact-deepseek?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:00:12 +0000 Zhu Wenqian Zhu Wenqian Singapore and Beijing have emerged among the world’s most liveable cities for tech workers, according to Savills’ inaugural Matcha Index, which ranks locations by buzz and by the spaces where these employees can work, connect and spark ideas over a hot – or cold – matcha drink. The index, released on Tuesday, pointed out how cafe culture has become a vital part of the social infrastructure that supports the tech ecosystem, and that matcha lattes have taken over as the “go-to” drink for young... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338901/singapore-beijing-land-top-10-savills-inaugural-matcha-index-global-tech-cities?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3338901/singapore-beijing-land-top-10-savills-inaugural-matcha-index-global-tech-cities?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 23:30:10 +0000 Luna Sun Luna Sun China’s job market is entering a decisive phase of structural transformation as the country retools its growth model after years of rapid expansion. As jobseekers struggle to reconcile shrinking traditional opportunities with a labour market in flux, Beijing has laid out a road map in the next five-year plan for reshaping its employment landscape amid demographic shifts through innovation-led industries, upgraded services and regionally balanced development. In this explainer, the Post outlines... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337290/what-are-chinas-hottest-jobs-ai-reshapes-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3337290/what-are-chinas-hottest-jobs-ai-reshapes-labour-market?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Jan 2026 08:00:11 +0000 Wang Huiyao Wang Huiyao Few developments over the past quarter century have been as consequential or widely debated as China’s ascent to global prominence as the vanguard of a rising Global South. To understand this change, we must look not only at outcomes but at the underlying drivers that made them possible. China’s development over the last 25 years did not occur by accident. It was not the result of any single policy. Rather, it was the cumulative product of farsighted design and vision as well as an evolving... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338103/key-lessons-chinas-ascent-over-past-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3338103/key-lessons-chinas-ascent-over-past-25-years?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Chinese household appliances maker Dreame Technology will present gifts of gold and a trip to Antarctica to employees, on top of their year-end bonuses, as the company boosted its position as one of the world’s leading vendors of robot vacuum cleaners. The additional largesse was revealed over the weekend by Dreame founder and CEO Yu Hao in two WeChat Moments posts. Yu said every employee will receive a one-gram gold bonus in addition to their standard year-end payout. The company also planned... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3338029/chinese-robot-vacuum-maker-dreame-gives-gifts-gold-and-trip-antarctica-employees?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Dec 2025 11:00:10 +0000