激活服务消费，释放“人”的需求潜能——对提振我国居民消费的系统性思考

Core Viewpoint - Expanding domestic demand is a strategic move, with boosting consumption being a top priority. The article analyzes the current issues and deep-seated problems in China's consumer market, focusing on the constraints of "difficult migration," "difficult urban settlement," "lack of leisure," and "supply shortages" that hinder the release of consumer demand. It proposes a systematic approach to activate consumption through facilitating population flow, enhancing consumption capacity, and upgrading service supply [5][11]. Group 1: Current Issues in China's Consumption - China's consumer rate is significantly low, with a gap primarily in service consumption. The consumer rate is about 18 percentage points lower than that of countries at a similar development stage, with service consumption contributing approximately 70% to this gap [6][11]. - Post-pandemic recovery of service consumption is lagging behind that of goods consumption, disrupting the trend of upgrading consumer structure towards services, further exacerbating the consumption deficit [6][11]. - The structure of service consumption shows a high proportion of basic services like healthcare and education, while enjoyment-based consumption such as entertainment and dining is relatively low [6][11][24]. Group 2: Deep-seated Causes of Low Consumption - The low consumption is attributed to four main issues: "difficult migration," "difficult urban settlement," "lack of leisure," and "supply shortages." Over 100 million agricultural surplus laborers have not migrated, significantly limiting income and consumption capacity [7][30]. - Approximately 250 million migrant workers struggle to settle in cities due to insufficient public services, leading to a cycle of low security, high savings, and low consumption [7][39]. - Long working hours, exceeding those of major economies by over 50%, reduce leisure time, which is crucial for service consumption growth [7][51]. - The effective supply of services is constrained by restrictive measures, with significant shortages in key areas such as elderly care and childcare, hindering the upgrade of consumption structure [7][52]. Group 3: Recommendations for Boosting Consumption - Develop county-level life service industries and improve rural labor transfer channels to enhance income and reduce urban-rural disparities [8][69]. - Strengthen "people-centered fiscal" spending to ensure comprehensive coverage of public services for all residents, particularly for non-hukou populations [8][69]. - Innovate flexible working hours and vacation systems to increase leisure time, which is essential for stimulating service consumption [8][70]. - Remove barriers to service supply and accelerate the expansion and quality improvement of emerging consumption sectors [8][71].