Biggest Industries by Employment in China in 2023

1. Cotton Growing in China

Employment number for 2023: 91,000,000

Revenue from the Cotton Growing industry in China is estimated to reach $16.2 billion in 2022, up 3.5% from 2021. Industry revenue is expected to rise at an annualized 2.1% over the five years through 2022. These increases have largely been the result of increasing demand from synthetic fiber manufacturers and cotton prices.

China is the largest producer of cotton in the world, with a plant area of 3.0 million hectares as at 2021. China is also the largest global consumer market for cotton, as cotton is one of the main raw materials for many Chinese industries. China has about 50.2... Learn More

2. In-Home Care & Other Household Services in China

Employment number for 2023: 39,100,000

The In-Home Care & Other Household Services industry in China has developed significantly in recent years. The industry has grown particularly due to the improving income levels of Chinese residents, increasing number of new births and elders, accelerating pace of life, and a high labor force participation rate. Industry revenue is expected to total $126.5 billion in 2022, which is a 14.2% increase from 2021. Moreover, the industry is anticipated to have an annualized growth rate of 13.5% over the past five years. Industry profit is low, with an average of 7.1% of industry revenue in 2022, mainly diminished by... Learn More

3. Building Construction in China

Employment number for 2023: 32,900,000

Over the five years through 2023, revenue for the Building Construction industry is expected to have been growing at an average annualized 4.4%, to $3.0 trillion. This includes an anticipated increase of 4.7% in 2023. There are approximately 36,700 construction firms in this industry. Most major players also have operations in civil engineering, real estate development, professional engineering services, plan designing, building materials manufacturing and construction equipment manufacturing. By operating across different sectors, firms can minimize their costs and maintain stable supply sources.

Larger general contractors are relatively stable and less vulnerable to external influences due to their broad business scope... Learn More

4. Full-Service Restaurants in China

Employment number for 2023: 23,356,000

Full-service restaurants in China account for the largest share of revenue of all the industries in China's catering subsector. Revenue for China's catering subsector totaled $665.5 billion in 2022, of which $535.5 billion was generated by the Full-Service Restaurants industry.

The Full-Service Restaurants industry's proportion of the total catering subsector has decreased slightly in recent years, due to the rapid growth of its main external competitor, the Fast-Food Restaurant industry in China (IBISWorld report 6720). Nevertheless, the Full-Service Restaurants industry has grown steadily over the past five years. Industry revenue is expected to increase at an annualized rate of 1.8% over... Learn More

5. Chinese Medicinal Herb Growing in China

Employment number for 2023: 16,453,470

As the production raw materials in the upstream of the industry chain, Chinese Medicinal Herb Growing in China is the basis for the development of the traditional Chinese medicine industry. China began the cultivation and planting of Chinese medicinal materials as early as the Tang Dynasty. The Qing Dynasty began large-scale cultivation of Chinese medicinal materials. However, the large-scale cultivation of many varieties began in the 1950s. At present, it has reached the stage of large-scale, intensive and industrialized cultivation base production. China is one of the largest growing and consumer countries of ginseng and pseudo-ginseng in the world. Rising... Learn More

6. Tobacco Growing in China

Employment number for 2023: 13,940,534

Tobacco is grown in over 125 countries on over 4.0 million hectares of land, a quarter of which is in China. The global tobacco crop is worth approximately $20.0 billion, a small fraction of the total amount generated from the sale of manufactured tobacco products around the world.

Tobacco is grown on less than 1% of the world's agricultural land and in a wide variety of soils and climates. Since the 1960s, the bulk of production has moved from the Americas to Africa and Asia. Land devoted to tobacco growing has been halved in the United States, Canada and Mexico, but... Learn More

7. Fruit and Nut Growing in China

Employment number for 2023: 13,142,897

China is the world's largest producer of fruits, with a total output of 309.6 million tons and a planting area of 132.7 billion square meters in 2022. Revenue for the Fruit and Nut Growing industry in China is expected to rise at an annualized 9.2% over the five years through 2022, to reach $36.7 billion. This growth includes an increase of 9.7% in 2022. Rising domestic demand and an increase in the number of fruit varieties have benefited the industry's development.

The industry has been consolidating, with the number of industry farming enterprises expected to decline at an annualized 0.7%... Learn More

8. Building Completion & Interior Design in China

Employment number for 2023: 12,560,688

Revenue for the Building Completion and Interior Design industry is expected to decrease at an annualized 0.3% over the five years through 2022, to $653.7 billion. This high growth rate is largely due to upstream building construction growth, the wide expansion of interior design enterprises through the combination of online and offline promotion, and consideration of customers' experience. However, revenue is expected to grow by 2.4% in the current year.

Household and public building completion and decoration services are the industry's major service segments, with curtain wall decoration accounting for only a small proportion of industry revenue. Design services are a... Learn More

9. Bridge, Tunnel and Subway Construction in China

Employment number for 2023: 12,312,131

The Bridge, Tunnel and Subway Construction industry in China has been growing rapidly, driven by China's urbanization, increasing population flow, increasing traffic and demand for infrastructure, and increasing government investment. Revenue for the industry is expected to grow at an annualized 9.7% over the five years through 2022, to total $1.6 trillion.

The industry includes 2,626 enterprises, up from 2,000 in 2016, reflecting annualized growth of 4.5% over the five years through 2022. In 2022, the industry has an estimated 25,735 establishments, which employ 13.0 million workers, with a payroll of $86.2 billion. Employment numbers are expected to grow at an... Learn More

10. Fast-Food Restaurants in China

Employment number for 2023: 10,680,471

In recent years, lifestyle changes and reduced leisure time have contributed to a consumer shift from traditional full-service restaurants toward fast-food establishments. In addition, increased Western influences in China have boosted demand for fast food. Due to the rapid development of fast-food service providers, improvements in chain store and franchising management, and new brands and food styles, industry growth has been strong over the past decade.

ACMR-IBISWorld estimates that the Fast-Food Restaurants industry in China will generate $184.5 billion in 2022. Revenue is expected to increase by 6.5% in 2022 as the industry recovers from the COVID-19 outbreak. Industry revenue is... Learn More