Abstract: Developing and expanding the service economy and establishing an employment-friendly policy framework for the service sector are of great significance for promoting high-quality and full employment. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the scale of China's service sector has steadily expanded, and its quality and efficiency have continuously improved. At the present stage, among the three sectors of the economy, new employment is primarily generated by the service sector. The employment structure across various industries within China's service sector is increasingly upgrading, with enormous potential to absorb new employment. Both existing and new employment opportunities are highly concentrated, demonstrating strong employment inclusiveness and diverse forms of employment. However, current employment in China's service sector also faces issues such as significant disparities across industries. During the 15th Five-Year Plan period, we should establish policy mechanisms that reconcile industrial development with employment-friendly measures; strengthen policy support for knowledge-intensive productive services; further support small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and private enterprises; and strive to improve the quality of employment and social security coverage in sectors such as micro and small enterprises and flexible employment.
