Abstract
This paper presents an overview of labour market and sectoral policies in China, focusing on their role in promoting more and better jobs. It analyses the evolution of the labour market over the past 60 years, including the shift in focus from managing rural to urban migration in the framework of the Lewis’ (1954) model to productivity-led growth. An issue of concern is the historic inequalities between official urban residents and migrant workers from the countryside due to the hukou – or a model based on household registration – system. The paper also examines the policy-setting and coordination mechanisms in place to ensure that the labour market and sectoral policies respond to immediate needs as well as longer term plans. In essence, current labour market and development policies focus on achieving sustainable and stable growth rates to create adequate productive job opportunities, increasing social protection coverage and strengthening active labour market policies. This is all the more relevant due to the impact of population ageing and underinvestment in human capital.