China’s cities want young people. What do the young want?
Beijing wants cities to compete for talent, consumers and future parents. But incentives will count for little without affordable housing and good jobs.
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China’s cities are competing for a resource the country once had in abundance: young people. It is facing a demographic crisis, with its population falling by 3.39 million in 2025, when just 7.92 million babies were born.
PHOTO: AFP
- China’s cities are competing to attract young people by offering jobs, affordable housing, and social incentives to support youth employment, family life, and local economic growth.
- The government promotes “youth-development-oriented cities” to address demographic decline and shift towards high-tech industries needing skilled young workers.
- Cities like Shanghai and Wuhan provide housing subsidies, relaxed hukou rules, and youth-friendly services, but young people prioritise practical needs like job security and affordable living over social perks.
AI generated
China’s cities are fighting over a resource the country once had in abundance: young people.
For a long time, the wooing went mostly the other way. Young Chinese competed to get into the most desirable cities – for universities, jobs, housing, hukou and, with it, access to public services.