On the afternoon of April 9, 2024, the lecture titled "Dynamic Changes in the Employment Market: A Measurement and Statistical Perspective" was successfully held in Room A1314 of the Science Building at East China Normal University. The keynote speaker was Professor Zeng Xiangquan from the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China, who is also a "Changjiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education and Director of the China Employment Research Institute at Renmin University.

The lecture was hosted by Associate Professor Chen Liwen from the School of Public Administration at East China Normal University. Faculty members and students from the school participated in the lecture, engaging in in-depth exchanges and discussions.

As China enters a new stage of high-quality economic development, the implementation and refinement of employment-first policies have become essential. The dynamic changes in the employment market are a focal point for all sectors of society. Professor Zeng analyzed these changes from a measurement and statistical perspective, discussing topics such as improving the employment market measurement and statistical system, deepening labor market reforms, and promoting high-quality employment development in the new era.

Firstly, Professor Zeng analyzed the current dynamic changes in the employment market, presenting the overall trend and short-term fluctuations. He noted that, according to national data, China's employment situation remains generally stable, but youth unemployment remains high. Using big data from recruitment platforms, Professor Zeng examined the short-term fluctuations in the employment market.

He pointed out that analyzing employment trends using recruitment platform data helps to address shortcomings of traditional survey data, such as sensitivity issues, seasonal factor exclusion, and difficulty in reflecting the overall market situation. By employing the China Employment Market Prosperity Index (CIER) to measure market activity, which excludes cyclical, trend, and seasonal factors, one can better observe and understand short-term changes in the employment market.

Secondly, Professor Zeng proposed several recommendations for improving employment and unemployment measurement and statistics. These recommendations include: focusing on changes in "hidden unemployment" levels; considering multiple indicators such as underemployment rate and hourly wage rate in addition to the survey unemployment rate to accurately reflect employment conditions; increasing offline job vacancy surveys to accurately reflect labor demand changes; incorporating labor force survey data into the microdata laboratory projects; and further enriching the sample size and survey content of current microdatabases related to labor force surveys.

During the discussion session, Professor Zeng engaged in an in-depth discussion with the attendees on topics such as improvements in basic wages, the current employment situation in new business models, and working hours measurement. The lecture concluded successfully, with Professor Zeng's insightful presentation providing profound inspiration and new perspectives for the study and discussion of dynamic changes in the employment market.

This report is sourced from the School of Public Administration at East China Normal University.