China’s population policies have played a defining role in shaping its labour market, intertwining demographic transformations with economic imperatives. In China’s Labour Market, 1950–2050, Jane Du ambitiously analyses the interplay between China’s population policies and its labour market outcomes over the course of a century. The core argument posits that family planning measures, notably the one-child and two-child policies, have profoundly shaped China’s demographic structure, with effects on labour supply, income transitions and economic growth. The implications are likely to be long-lasting, as Du’s analysis suggests that post-2013 fertility incentives remain ill-equipped to reverse the ongoing decline in birth rate, total fertility rate and overall population size. While the book excels in compiling a century-spanning statistical record – drawing rigorously from government yearbooks, census data and labour surveys – its extensive focus on population policies at times overshadows nuanced discussion of labour market dynamics.

The historical nexus between population and economic policymaking in China stretches back decades, with state intervention in demographic structures fundamentally shaping labour market dynamics. The implementation of birth control measures – from early family planning campaigns in the 1950s to the formalization of the one-child policy in the 1981 Marriage Law – sought to regulate population growth in coordination with economic strategies. While these policies initially helped control dependency ratios and fuelled economic expansion, as Du highlights, they also sowed the seeds for structural labour shortages. This chronological approach effectively traces policy evolution but leaves limited room for interrogating the causal mechanisms linking demographic shifts to labour market outcomes.

The sustained interaction between population policies and economic strategies has profound economic implications for China’s developmental trajectory. Building on the demographic–economic nexus, chapter three illuminates the role of demographic transformations in China’s transition from a middle-income to a high-income economy, drawing comparisons with Japan and South Korea. While China’s demographic dividend fuelled early industrialization, the conclusion of this dividend now presents challenges: an aging population and shrinking workforce that threaten economic momentum. Du attributes China’s delayed income transition to demographic constraints, including a shrinking working-age population – a structural divergence from the trajectories of neighbouring economies. This comparative analysis stands out for its alignment with the book’s central theme, connecting demographic trends to broader economic shifts.

As the demographic–economic nexus endures, regional disparities will likely play pivotal roles in China’s labour market over the coming decades. Du demonstrates how income inequality and rural–urban migration patterns have unevenly shaped fertility responses. Affluent coastal regions like Guangdong, with higher wages and urbanized populations, exhibit lower birth rates due to elevated child-rearing costs and career prioritization. In contrast, inland provinces such as Heilongjiang face steeper labour shortages despite marginally higher fertility rates, as outmigration of working-age adults offsets local birth increases. These disparities, Du argues, undermine the efficacy of national population policies. The “universal” two-child policy, for instance, fails to account for regional economic asymmetries, resulting in fragmented labour markets where industrial hubs struggle to attract workers while aging rural areas lack fiscal capacity to incentivize fertility.

The structural challenges posed by these demographic shifts are likely to intensify. Statistical projections reveal a widening gap between labour demand in high-productivity sectors and supply constraints in shrinking regions. Urbanization and technological advancements exacerbate wage disparities: high-value industries sustain wage growth, while traditional sectors and rural labour markets stagnate. The discussion positions demographic transition as a central determinant of China’s economic future, illuminating how shrinking labour force participation and rising dependency ratios threaten productivity and fiscal sustainability.

China’s Labour Market, 1950–2050 offers a comprehensive compilation of demographic data and policy timelines, serving as a resource for navigating China’s population dynamics. However, the book’s extensive focus on policy measures and demographic trends often overshadows the titular emphasis on labour market analysis. The narrative occasionally falters in maintaining a connection between demographic shifts and labour market outcomes, leaving unresolved questions about the reciprocal influence. While the discussion effectively illustrates correlations between demographic shifts and macroeconomic outcomes, the analysis lacks engagement with foundational debates in labour economics, such as the Lewis model of structural transformation. Nevertheless, the work provides empirical grounding for contextualizing China’s demographic trajectory, shedding light on the historical foundations of its current labour constraints, the present-day socioeconomic manifestations, and the implications for the future of its labour market.