Article China Labor-force Dynamics Survey: Design and practice Jin Wang, Yi Zhou and Shuyin Liu Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, China Abstract The China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), launched by Sun Yat-Sen University, is the first national longitudinal social survey targeted at the labor force in China. Using a rotating panel design, the survey is conducted every two years and has accumulated three waves of data now. In this article, we introduce the theoretical background, sample design, and survey implementation of the survey. We also summarize some scholarly themes which CLDS can be applied to by presenting descriptive statistical results. Keywords China Labor-force Dynamics Survey (CLDS), sample design, social survey “The codification of scientific knowledge characterizes scientific research and its social science reflection is the collection and utilization of systematic survey data” (Bian & Li, 2012). Sociologically speaking, empirical research based on high-quality data enables scholars to detect and analyze social changes and their underlying mechanisms, espe- cially in the particular context of China. In 1978, Deng Xiaoping, the leader of the CCP, launched a program of economic reforms. Since then, China has been experiencing a rapid and large-scale social transformation. One of the most significant social changes is the rapid economic growth, accompanied by salient changes in the labor market. One of the most significant features is “the exit of low-productivity state-owned enterprises and their replacement with new domestic private enterprises”, and thus private enterprises accounted for over 60% of total employment by 2010 (Storesletten & Zilibotti, 2014). Another salient feature is that the moderate wage growth, combined with a growing class Corresponding author: Jin Wang, Department of Sociology and Social Work, Sun Yat-Sen University, Guangzhou, Guangdong 510275, China. Email: wangjinxt@gmail.com Chinese Sociological Dialogue 1–15 ª The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/2397200917735796 journals.sagepub.com/home/csd