By 2028, the city aims for the advertising industry's revenue to exceed 450 billion yuan, the human resources services industry to reach 300 billion yuan, the organization management services industry to hit 300 billion yuan, the consulting and research industry to achieve 200 billion yuan, and the travel agency and related services sector to surpass 55 billion yuan.
On January 9, the General Office of the Shanghai Municipal People's Government issued a notice regarding the "Three-Year Action Plan for Shanghai to Promote the 'Industrial Agglomeration, Spatial Agglomeration, and Factor Agglomeration' of the Leasing and Business Services Sector (2026-2028)."
This action plan was formulated to accelerate the agglomeration of advantageous sub-sectors of the leasing and business services industry into key districts, the concentration of high-quality business entities into key spatial carriers, and the convergence of key factor resources into pivotal industries and regions, thereby rapidly scaling up, improving quality and efficiency, enhancing capabilities, and continuously strengthening the embeddedness, integration, and competitiveness of enterprises in the industry.
The plan sets clear development goals. By 2028, the city aims to establish a number of key integrated parks, key blocks, and buildings; attract a cluster of high-capability and high-growth enterprises; and gather a pool of high-end business service talents, professional service platforms, exhibitions, and forums. The total operating revenue of the city's leasing and business services sector is targeted to exceed 1.5 trillion yuan, maintaining a leading scale nationally.
Efforts will be accelerated to build Shanghai into an international hub for digital advertising. By 2028, the advertising industry's revenue is projected to surpass 450 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Xuhui, Huangpu, and Putuo collectively accounting for 50% of the city's total. The plan aims to strengthen the digital advertising industry ecosystem, support advertising companies in innovation and transformation, and foster deep cooperation between advertising firms and platform companies. It emphasizes integration and empowerment through "AI + Digital Advertising," offering support to digital advertising companies developing vertical applications and AI agents for advertising, and establishing a new occupational category for "Generative AI Advertising Designers."
High-quality development of the human resources services industry will be promoted. The target for 2028 is revenue of 300 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Pudong, Jing'an, and Huangpu jointly contributing 60% of the city's total. The plan calls for enhancing empowerment through digital technology, promoting the integrated development of "AI + HR + Industry," improving the quality and efficiency of HR service outsourcing, developing high-value-added businesses like executive search, talent assessment, and employee compensation and benefits management, and expanding overseas human resources services.
The resource allocation capability of the organization management services industry will be elevated. By 2028, revenue is expected to reach 300 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Pudong, Jing'an, and Xuhui accounting for 55% of the total. A headquarters empowerment initiative will be implemented to attract regional headquarters of multinational corporations and global business units to establish and expand substantive functions, attract central state-owned enterprise headquarters and business segments, build clusters for private enterprise headquarters, cultivate embedded next-generation headquarters-type enterprises, and increase the economic contribution of headquarters companies.
The international competitiveness of the consulting and research industry will be rapidly enhanced. The target for 2028 is revenue of 200 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Pudong, Jing'an, and Huangpu accounting for over 70% of the city's total. Consulting and research firms will be encouraged to adopt new cooperation models such as subscription-based services, solution licensing, and retained advisory services, expand into emerging fields like health consulting and environmental consulting, and support research institutions and think tanks in enhancing their international consulting capabilities. Accounting, auditing, and tax service agencies will be supported in upgrading their capabilities through optimization, restructuring, and business expansion. A global service network map for accounting firms and guidelines for overseas expansion will be published, with support measures for establishing overseas presence improved. The industry will actively adapt to new trends like the digital economy and green, low-carbon development, exploring innovative businesses such as digital asset valuation, carbon auditing, compliance planning, and dispute resolution.
The service quality of travel agencies will be continuously improved. By 2028, revenue from travel agencies and related services is targeted to exceed 55 billion yuan, with the key development district of Changning accounting for 55% of the city's total. The plan involves attracting and nurturing platform-based tourism enterprises to expand value-added services, attracting foreign-funded travel agencies, and encouraging the development of high-value-added inbound and outbound tourism products. Support will be provided for travel agencies to integrate cultural, tourism, commercial, sports, and exhibition resources such as concerts, sports events, and popular exhibitions, creating new scenarios like "performing arts + tourism" and "cultural museums + tourism," and developing personalized tourism products.
Shanghai will be upgraded as an international exhibition capital. By 2028, the exhibition industry's revenue is expected to exceed 25 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Pudong, Xuhui, and Qingpu collectively contributing 60% of the total. The plan aims to amplify the spillover effects of major exhibition events, strengthen cooperation with international organizations like the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) and the International Association of Exhibitions and Events (IAEE), precisely attract globally renowned exhibition projects and specialized professional exhibitions, cultivate a number of self-owned brand exhibitions, and reduce the comprehensive costs of hosting exhibitions.
The development of world-class legal services will be accelerated. By 2028, the legal services industry's revenue is targeted to sustain growth above 20 billion yuan, with the three agglomeration zones in Pudong, Jing'an, and Xuhui jointly accounting for 80% of the city's total. Focus will be on areas such as commercial affairs, intellectual property, data elements, and Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG), deepening the construction of legal technology and the development and application of AI. Support will be provided for law firms to establish overseas presence and for Sino-foreign law firm joint operations, attracting and nurturing brand-name law firms and specialized, sophisticated law firms to promote the matrix-style development of the legal services industry. Pudong New District and others will be supported in attracting urgently needed and scarce foreign-related legal service talents.
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