* Urban units include state-owned enterprises, collective enterprises, associated enterprises, joint-stock enterprises, limited companies, and foreign invested companies.
** 2017 data.
Figures do not include people from rural areas of city districts.
Figures apply to the administrative area of the respective city and - depending on the size of the city's administrative area - may include people living in distant suburbs not connected to the contiguous built-up area of the city.
The selection of cities follows the definition of first and new first tier cities by Yicai Media Group.
Values have been rounded.
Citation formats
Labor force size and basic composition in major cities of China 2019
In 2019, Shanghai had the largest urban labor force of all cities in China, amounting to about million people. Of these, around **** million were employed in urban units, while almost eight million worked for private enterprises or were self-employed, and **** million were unemployed.
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National Bureau of Statistics of China. (December 15, 2020). Size and basic composition of the labor force of first and new first tier cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s) [Graph]. In ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Retrieved August 05, 2026, from /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Size and basic composition of the labor force of first and new first tier cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s)." Chart. December 15, 2020. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. Accessed August 05, 2026. /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. (2020). Size and basic composition of the labor force of first and new first tier cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s). ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ. ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc.. Accessed: August 05, 2026. /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/
National Bureau of Statistics of China. "Size and Basic Composition of The Labor Force of First and New First Tier Cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s)." ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ Inc., 15 Dec 2020, /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/
National Bureau of Statistics of China, Size and basic composition of the labor force of first and new first tier cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s) ÌÇÐÄÆƽâ°æ, /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/ (last visited August 05, 2026)
Size and basic composition of the labor force of first and new first tier cities in China in 2019 (in 1,000s) [Graph], National Bureau of Statistics of China, December 15, 2020. [Online]. Available: /statistics/1181973/china-size-and-distribution-of-urban-labor-force-of-major-cities/
