Shanghai Passes Landmark Act Backing Youth Employment, Housing, and Families

Shanghai has passed China’s first local act aimed at building a young people-friendly city, introducing measures to support young residents in areas including employment, entrepreneurship, housing, marriage, and child-rearing.

The Standing Committee of the Shanghai People’s Congress approved the “Decision on Promoting the Construction of a Young People-Friendly City” at its 30th meeting yesterday. The act will take effect on June 1.

The plan includes 18 provisions covering key areas such as youth employment, innovation and entrepreneurship, talent introduction and education, housing support, marriage, and child-rearing. The measures are intended to address practical challenges faced by young people and foster a more supportive environment for their development in the megacity.

According to the plan, Shanghai will create more career opportunities for young people, improve career advancement channels for skilled workers, provide policy consultation and entrepreneurship guidance services for young entrepreneurs, and encourage young people to play a greater role in technological innovation.

The city will also provide rental subsidies to eligible young people, increase housing provident fund support for renting and home purchases, and expand the supply of affordable rental housing in areas with high concentrations of young workers and near subway stations.

Under a housing plan previously released by Shanghai’s housing administration, the city aims to add 250,000 to 270,000 units of affordable rental housing during the 15th Five-Year Plan period from this year to 2030. It also plans to add 120,000 affordable rental beds for frontline workers such as couriers and food delivery riders.

In addition, Shanghai will strengthen marriage counseling services for young people, improve fertility support policies and incentives, expand inclusive childcare services, and further promote the development of a fertility-friendly society, the document said.

The city also plans to establish youth-focused economic clusters, cultivate commercial districts targeting young consumers, step up talent recruitment in key sectors and regions, and create a more open international youth exchange mechanism to attract overseas young people to visit, study, and start businesses in Shanghai.