China’s working-age population, aged between 16 and 59 years old, stood at as large as 875.6 million in 2022, accounting for 62 percent of the nation's total population of 1.41 billion and providing a key foundation for economic development. The country's population is still "young and vibrant" with an average age of 38.8 years old.

Foreign-invested enterprises are entitled to determine their institutional settings and needs for personnel and to recruit employees in China on their own or entrust recruitment to talent market and intermediaries recognized by the local labor department.

The recruitment of employees from foreign countries, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao must be approved by the local labor department, and related procedures such as provision of employment permits must be carried out in accordance with relevant regulations of the state. The positions applied for by foreigners must meet the nation's special demands which cannot be satisfied by the domestic labor force.

When hiring staff, all representative offices in China shall entrust local foreign affairs service units or other units designated by the Chinese government to handle the direct employment of workers.

When a foreign representative office in China hires Chinese citizens, the employer must get a registration certificate. In order to obtain this certificate, the employer must go through procedures such as opening a foreign exchange bank account, applying for a direct line, and confirming the multiple-entry visas of foreign managerial personnel. In addition, the lowest ratio of Chinese and foreign personnel is 1:1.

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