During recent years there has been a growing interest in the way patterns of employment relations are changing in China. This up-to-the-minute book reviews the policy and practice of human resource management, work and employment in China over the last fifty years at both the macro and micro level. It fills the gaps in existing literature by addressing a number of thematic issues:

• the growing inequality in employment
• public sector reform
• pay systems
• vocational training.

It explores, contemplates and reveals this dynamic subject through a combination of rigorous research and first-hand interviews with Chinese practitioners, and is a valuable resource for anyone with an interest in Chinese society, Asian studies, comparative studies, human resource management, international business and employment relations.

Fang Lee Cooke is Senior Lecturer in Employment Studies at the Manchester Business School, University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology.

1. Introduction 2. Employment Relations in China and Its Institutional Context 3. Reforms of the Personnel System in the State Sector 4. Pay Systems and Recent Remuneration Schemes 5. Vocational and Enterprise Training Systems 6. Gender Equality Policy and Practice in Employment and Management 7. Minimum Wage and Implications for Equality in Employment 8. Employment Relations in Private Small Firms 9. HRM in China: Recent Developments 10. The Future Prospects of HRM, Work and Employment in China