Group 1: Work Hours and Consumer Behavior - Since 2018, China's average weekly working hours have increased to 48.3 hours, which is 21 minutes more per day compared to 2018[3] - The time residents spend on purchasing goods and services has decreased from 80 minutes per day to 43 minutes per day[3] - The most significant "involution" is observed in the manufacturing and productive service sectors, while real estate and life service industries have seen a reduction in working hours[3][4] Group 2: Employment Trends Among Age Groups - The most pronounced "involution" trend is among young people, with an average increase of over 4 hours in weekly working hours over the past five years[4] - For the age group 25-34, weekly working hours increased from 46.7 hours in 2018 to 50.8 hours in 2023[4] - In contrast, individuals aged 55 and above have seen a decrease in working hours by 2.3 hours during the same period[4] Group 3: Policy Recommendations and Economic Rebalancing - Current policies encourage flexible work arrangements and paid leave to address "involution," but these measures primarily target symptoms rather than root causes[5] - The imbalance in employment distribution between manufacturing and service sectors is identified as a core issue, with tariffs potentially facilitating a shift from manufacturing to services[5] - The life service sector has the capacity to absorb labor from the manufacturing sector, as it has seen a 7 percentage point increase in employment share over the past two decades[5][6] Group 4: Service Sector Growth and Consumer Demand - The life service sector's wage growth (18.1%) has outpaced that of manufacturing (10.7%) and productive services (12.4%), indicating a labor shortage in the service sector[6] - There is a significant gap of approximately 1.5 trillion yuan in service employment compared to value-added, suggesting a need for more jobs in this sector[6] - As urbanization increases and GDP per capita rises, service consumption is expected to grow, with a projected annual increase of 0.6% in service consumption share as urbanization reaches 70%[6][7]

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] - The average daily working time in China increased by 21 minutes from 2018 to 2023, reaching 48.3 hours per week, while the time spent on purchasing goods and services dropped from 80 minutes per day to 43 minutes per day [2][9] - The "involution" trend is particularly evident in the manufacturing and productive service sectors, while the real estate and life service sectors have seen a decrease in working hours [2][21] 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 [4][35] - 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 [4][48] - There is a significant employment gap in the life service sector, with a potential to absorb more jobs, as the wage growth in this sector (18.1%) outpaces that of manufacturing (10.7%) [5][61] Group 3 - The long-term direction for combating "involution" involves aligning supply structures with changing demand structures, particularly as consumer demand trends towards services [6][85] - Global experiences indicate that as GDP per capita reaches between $10,000 and $30,000 and urbanization rates hit 70%, the proportion of service consumption in total consumption increases by approximately 0.6% annually [6][86] - The aging population is expected to drive service consumption, with each 1% increase in the aging rate correlating with a 1.3% increase in service consumption share [6][93]