Core Insights - The article discusses the employment landscape in China's digital economy, highlighting the distinction between digital industrialization and industrial digitalization [2][22] - As of the end of 2024, the total number of jobs created through industrial digitalization reached 61.95 million, accounting for 8.4% of the national employment [14][22] - By the second quarter of 2025, this number decreased to 60.09 million, with a notable decline in individual business contributions [14][22] Employment Statistics - By the end of 2024, the total number of jobs in industrial digitalization was 61.95 million, with 20.83 million jobs created by enterprises and 39.17 million by individual businesses [14][22] - In the second quarter of 2025, enterprise-created digital jobs increased by 10.7% to 20.83 million, while individual business jobs decreased by 6.1% to 39.17 million [14][22] - The wholesale and retail industry accounted for the largest share of digital jobs, with 25.14 million positions, representing 41.1% of the total [16][22] Industry Insights - The cultural and entertainment industry had the highest digital employment penetration rate at 29.8%, while the manufacturing sector had a low penetration rate of 4.6% [16][23] - The majority of digital employment is concentrated in small market entities, with individual businesses consistently creating over 60% of digital jobs [23][22] - E-commerce platforms are identified as the primary drivers of industrial digitalization employment, particularly in the wholesale and retail sector [23][22] Regional Distribution - Digital jobs created by enterprises are predominantly located in eastern coastal provinces, with Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang leading in job creation [19][22] - In the second quarter of 2025, 15 provinces saw an increase in enterprise-created digital jobs, while 16 experienced a decline, indicating a relatively balanced distribution [19][22] Research Methodology - The employment estimates were derived from a comprehensive survey conducted by Tencent Research Institute, Penguin YouDiao, and WeBank, utilizing a multi-channel approach to ensure representativeness [3][4] - The survey targeted business owners and individual entrepreneurs, focusing on online job creation and avoiding duplication in job counts across platforms [4][6]

Core Insights - The article discusses the employment landscape in China's digital economy, highlighting the distinction between digital industrialization and industrial digitalization [4][5] - As of the end of 2024, the total employment in industrial digitalization reached 61.95 million, accounting for 8.4% of the national employment [22][30] - By the second quarter of 2025, this number decreased to 60.09 million, with a notable decline in individual business contributions [22][30] Employment Statistics - By the end of 2024, the total employment in industrial digitalization was estimated at 61.95 million, with 20.83 million jobs created by enterprises and 39.18 million by individual businesses [22][30] - The largest sector for digital employment was wholesale and retail, with 25.14 million jobs, representing 41.1% of the total [22][30] - The penetration rate of digital employment in the cultural and entertainment sector was the highest at 29.8%, while the manufacturing sector had a low penetration rate of 4.6% [24][31] Survey Methodology - The survey was conducted by Tencent Research Institute in collaboration with other organizations, utilizing online questionnaires to gather data from business owners and individual entrepreneurs [6][8] - The survey aimed to estimate the total employment generated by industrial digitalization and analyze the distribution and structure of these jobs [6][18] Regional Distribution - Employment generated by enterprises in industrial digitalization was primarily concentrated in eastern coastal provinces, with Guangdong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiang leading in job creation [27][30] - In the second quarter of 2025, 15 provinces saw an increase in enterprise-created digital jobs, while 16 experienced a decline, indicating a relatively balanced distribution [27] Industry Insights - The article emphasizes that most traditional industries have only a thin layer of digital integration, with significant opportunities for growth in digital employment [31] - E-commerce platforms are identified as the main drivers of industrial digitalization, with nearly half of the digital employment concentrated in the wholesale and retail sector [31][30]