As China implements reforms under the “new normal,” maintaining stability in the labor market is a priority. The country’s demography and labor dynamics are changing, after benefitting in past decades from ample cheap labor. So far, the labor market appears to be resilient, even as growth slows, driven in part by expansion of the services sector. Migrant flows and possible labor hoarding in overcapacity sectors may also help explain this. Yet, while the latter two factors help serve as shock absorbers— contributing to labor market stability in the short term—if they persist, they may delay the needed adjustment process, contributing to an inefficient allocation of resources and curtailing productivity gains. This paper quantifies to what extent structural trends and the reform pace affect employment growth under the new normal. Delays in reform implementation would weaken growth prospects in the medium term, running the risk that job creation will fall below policy targets, leading to labor market pressures in the future. In contrast, successful transition might require faster reforms, including in the overcapacity and state-owned enterprise sectors, supported by well targeted social safety nets.

Prior to the initiation of economic reforms and trade liberalization 36 years ago, China maintained policies that kept the economy very poor, stagnant, centrally-controlled, vastly inefficient, and relatively isolated from the global economy. Since opening up to foreign trade and investment and implementing free market reforms in 1979, China has been among the world's fastest-growing economies, with real annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth averaging nearly 10% through 2016. In recent years, China has emerged as a major global economic power. It is now the world's largest economy (on a purchasing power parity basis), manufacturer, merchandise trader, and holder of foreign exchange reserves.The global economic crisis that began in 2008 greatly affected China's economy. China's exports, imports, and foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows declined, GDP growth slowed, and millions of Chinese workers reportedly lost their jobs. The Chinese government responded by implementing a $586 billion economic stimulus package and loosening monetary policies to increase bank lending. Such policies enabled China to effectively weather the effects of the sharp global fall in demand for Chinese products, but may have contributed to overcapacity in several industries and increased debt by Chinese firms and local government. China's economy has slowed in recent years. Real GDP growth has slowed in each of the past six years, dropping from 10.6% in 2010 to 6.7% in 2016, and is projected to slow to 5.7% by 2022.The Chinese government has attempted to steer the economy to a "new normal" of slower, but more stable and sustainable, economic growth. Yet, concerns have deepened in recent years over the health of the Chinese economy. On August 11, 2015, the Chinese government announced that the daily reference rate of the renminbi (RMB) would become more "market-oriented." Over the next three days, the RMB depreciated against the dollar and led to charges that China's goal was to boost exports to help stimulate the economy (which some suspect is in worse shape than indicated by official Chinese economic statistics). Concerns over the state of the Chinese economy appear to have often contributed to volatility in global stock indexes in recent years.The ability of China to maintain a rapidly growing economy in the long run will likely depend largely on the ability of the Chinese government to implement comprehensive economic reforms that more quickly hasten China's transition to a free market economy; rebalance the Chinese economy by making consumer demand, rather than exporting and fixed investment, the main engine of economic growth; boost productivity and innovation; address growing income disparities; and enhance environmental protection. The Chinese government has acknowledged that its current economic growth model needs to be altered and has announced several initiatives to address various economic challenges. In November 2013, the Communist Party of China held the Third Plenum of its 18th Party Congress, which outlined a number of broad policy reforms to boost competition and economic efficiency. For example, the communique stated that the market would now play a "decisive" role in allocating resources in the economy. At the same time, however, the communique emphasized the continued important role of the state sector in China's economy. In addition, many foreign firms have complained that the business climate in China has worsened in recent years. Thus, it remains unclear how committed the Chinese government is to implementing new comprehensive economic reforms.China's economic rise has significant implications for the United States and hence is of major interest to Congress. This report provides background on China's economic rise; describes its current economic structure; identifies the challenges China faces to maintain economic growth; and discusses the challenges, opportunities, and implications of China's economic rise.

This timely volume on China’s economic “New Normal” features articles by leading scholars from the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences and other research institutions across the country. A broad range of perennial as well as hot-bottom topics related not just to economic growth but also to its social and political ramifications are covered, including patterns of growth, income distribution, domestic consumption, the global economic dynamics, and policy responses to these and other developments. Contributors not only combine theoretical and empirical analyses of these critical issues but also examine the historical background and the social context to what may be one of the most significant developments not just for China but also for the rest of the world.

China’s continuous, rapid economic growth since the Reform and Opening up of the country in the early 1980s has been praised as a miracle of the world economy. However, since 2012, the rate of growth has slowed down, rendering some people pessimistic about the country’s economic prospects. This title is a collection of a leading Chinese economists’ views on China’s economic growth and structural reform. The author argues that China’s economy has entered “the new normal”, meaning that slowed growth rate is not a cyclical phenomenon but a change in the stage of economic development. Therefore, there is a need to enact supply-side structural reforms, such as improved efficiency of resource reallocation, while shifting the mode of development from one of inputs to innovation. In addition, the author discusses the five major concepts of development proposed for the “13th Five-Year Plan”, as well as some critical topics related to supply-side structural reform, such as agricultural development, labor employment, and product quality. Scholars and students of macroeconomics, development economics, and the Chinese economy will find this book to be essential reading.

This book shows a panorama of sustainable development practices covering 70 major cities. This book has created the analysis framework of the “New Normal” of China’s economy, demonstrated the features and connotation of the "New Normal", carried out in-depth analysis and systematic study on the connotation and extension of the “New Normal” of China’s economy from ten aspects including growth shift, structural upgrading, innovation drive, regional synergy, moderate inflation, reform bonus, opening-up forced, risk exposure, sustainable development and macro-control in details and proposed targeted policy suggestions with practical application value that adapt to the new normal of China's economy and ensure the sustained, steady and healthy operation of the macro-economy.

As the Chinese economy has moved to a 'New Normal' of slower growth and changed model of development, its income distribution is being affected in a number of ways. What exactly are the impacts brought by the new changes? How should we view China's income distribution on the whole? What trend will we see in the future? With regard to these and other questions that arise against the backdrop of the economic 'New Normal', the book provides an in-depth analysis of the new issues, characteristics and trends in relation to income growth rates, income and wealth gaps, and the proportion of personal income in China.

This book examines the recent development and prospect of the Chinese economy as the country adapts to changing domestic and external settings. After more than three decades of near double-digit annual expansion, the country's growth decelerated considerably to enter a new era of the so-called New Normal.At the macro level, considerable amount of overhaul is required to improve governance and enhance regulatory effectiveness. These include monetary policy adjustment, financial sector development and taxation reforms.As the Chinese government at both the central and local levels plays an important role in promoting growth, issues such as the role of local government and the reform of state-owned enterprises are examined in this book. Topics such as the development of private consumption and industrial upgrading are also assessed. The book discusses several matters considered important to China's social and economic cohesion including the management of agricultural product reserves, the development of a functioning social security system and regional development. To help project a long-term view of China's economic strength, the book also examines such factors as development in population and the labour market.This book provides a comprehensive analysis of China's economy and identifies the recent developments that matter to China's economic future.