Brief Introduction

I. Main Contents

Data in this chapter show the basic conditions of China’s labour economy, including main labour statistics on the whole country and 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, such as the number of labour force, number of employed persons, number of registered unemployed persons in urban areas, total wage bills and average wages of employed persons as well as changes in related indices.

II. Scope of Statistics

The Reporting Form System on Labour and Wage Statistics covers all corporate units in urban area. The National Monthly Labour Force Survey covers all population in urban and rural areas in China. The Reporting Form System on Training and Employment Statistics covers all agencies and units providing employment services and job centers. The scope of statistics on private enterprises and self-employed individuals covers the whole country. Data on total labour force, employed persons and employed persons by urban and rural areas from 1990 to 2000 are estimated on the basis of the Fifth National Population Census and the annual Labour Force Survey; and data since 2001 are estimated on the basis of the 2010 National Population Census and the Labour Force Survey. Since 1998, statistics on employed person in urban units, total wage bills and average wage do not include the persons who had left their working units while keeping their labour contract/employment relation unchanged.

III. Sources of Data

(1) Data on basic conditions of employment and their breakdowns, total wage bills of staff and workers are collected and compiled through The Reporting Form System on Labour and Wage Statistics and The National Monthly Labour Force Survey by the Department of Population and Employment Statistics, NBS.

(2) Data on the number of registered unemployed persons and unemployment rate in urban areas are collected through The Reporting Form System on Training and Employment Statistics, which are provided by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

(3) Data on the number of employed persons in private enterprises and self-employed individuals are provided by the State Administration for Market Regulation.

IV. Methodology of Survey

A complete reporting form system is used in the labour and wage statistics of urban non-private enterprises, and sampling method is used in the statistics of urban private enterprises. The Labour Force Survey is conducted by using sampling methods. Statistics on training, employment, private enterprises and self-employed individuals are collected and compiled on basis of administrative records.