In recent years, China has attached great importance to the development of the digital economy, consistently promoting the deep integration of digital technology with the real economy. This integration has demonstrated a powerful enabling effect—not only expanding opportunities for the digital economy, but also empowering the real economy by reducing costs, improving efficiency, raising quality, and facilitating industrial upgrading. It has further catalyzed the emergence of new industries, business formats, and models, laying a solid foundation for achieving high-quality and full employment.

Creating more opportunities

First, deep integration is accelerating the trend toward flexible work. It is reshaping the nature of workplaces, work hours, and professional environments, making them more fluid and decentralized. Enabled by digital tools, collaborative work across diverse scenarios, time zones, and locations is increasingly untethered from traditional spatial and temporal constraints. As the integration progresses, flexible employment is poised to become a global trend with significant growth potential.

Second, integration is driving a transformation in labor skills. Studies have confirmed that digital technologies exert a “double-edged sword” effect on employment: While they displace repetitive and mechanical jobs, they also create new roles that require higher skill levels. This shift has become a key force in the evolution of workforce capabilities. In response, younger generations are no longer content with basic survival skills. They increasingly pursue diverse and self-directed career paths, cultivating multifaceted competencies and embracing multiple professional identities as “slashers.”

Third, integration has spawned a large number of new professions. Today, a wide range of jobs can be performed with just a computer or smartphone—examples include e-commerce entrepreneurs, online writers, livestream sellers, and digital content managers. As career options continue to expand, new employment forms are emerging while old professions are rapidly evolving. Since 2019, China has released six rounds of new profession classifications, recognizing 110 new occupations. With the integration digital technology with the real economy continuing apace, many more such roles are likely to appear.

Tackling real-world constraints

To fully harness the employment benefits of digital-real economy integration, several persistent challenges must be addressed. One key issue is the shortage of digital talent. In particular, the rapid development of large-scale AI models has caused demand for digital professionals to outpace supply. According to the “Report on Research and Development of Digital Talent in Industries (2023),” China faced an estimated shortfall of 25 to 30 million digital workers.

A second challenge lies in the structural imbalance of talent distribution. Digital skills are unevenly spread across regions and industries, which hinders localized and sectoral digital transformation.

Third, the employment service system remains underdeveloped. Information on labor supply and demand for new employment forms is still insufficient and often outdated. Employment registration data lacks accuracy, and the professionalism of service personnel needs improvement.

Finally, gaps in legal frameworks, social security systems, and public recognition must be addressed. Workers in new forms of employment often lack clear labor relations and face inadequate protection of their rights and interests. Meanwhile, efforts should be made to enhance public awareness and societal acceptance of many new professions.

Ding Shulei is an associate professor from the School of Labor Economics at the Capital University of Economics and Business.