热点思考 | 居民如何“反内卷”？（申万宏观·赵伟团队）

Group 1 - The phenomenon of "involution" is most pronounced among young people, with average weekly working hours increasing by over 4 hours in the past five years. The average weekly working hours for employees aged 25-34 rose from 46.7 hours in 2018 to 50.8 hours in 2023 [3][28] - In the manufacturing and productive service sectors, the "involution" phenomenon is particularly evident, while the working hours in real estate, infrastructure, and life service industries have decreased. From 2018 to 2023, the working hours in manufacturing increased by 0.7 hours, while life service industries saw a significant increase of 3.7 hours [2][21][150] - The average daily working time in China has increased by 21 minutes from 2018 to 2023, reaching 48.3 hours per week, which has led to a reduction in the time residents spend on purchasing goods and services from 80 minutes per day to 43 minutes per day [2][9][150] Group 2 - Current policies to combat "involution" focus on encouraging flexible work arrangements and paid leave, but these measures primarily address symptoms rather than the root causes of prolonged working hours. The "Promoting Consumption Special Action Plan" suggests exploring the establishment of spring and autumn breaks for primary and secondary schools [4][35][150] - The root cause of "involution" is the uneven distribution of employment across industries, with excessive employment in manufacturing leading to "involution" and insufficient employment in the service sector. Tariffs could accelerate the shift of employment from manufacturing to services, achieving a rebalancing [4][48][150] - There is a significant short-term employment gap in the life service industry, with a potential to absorb more jobs. In 2023, there was a 1.5 trillion yuan gap between service employment and value added, indicating a shortage of jobs in sectors like cultural entertainment and residential services [5][61][150] Group 3 - The long-term direction for combating "involution" involves aligning supply structures with changing demand structures, as residents' demand is showing a long-term trend towards "servicization." Global experiences indicate that as GDP per capita reaches 10,000 to 30,000 USD and urbanization rates hit 70%, the proportion of services in total consumption increases by approximately 0.6% annually [6][85][150] - The aging population is expected to increase the demand for service consumption, with each 1% increase in the aging rate correlating with a 1.3% rise in service consumption share. This trend is evident in countries like Japan and South Korea [6][93][150] - The trend of smaller household sizes is further stimulating demand for enjoyment-based services, indicating a robust growth potential for service consumption. In China, the average household size has decreased to 2.8 people, which is associated with higher spending on services like tourism and beauty [6][101][150]