The indicators are correct. People are working very hard and money is flowing around. In this case it doesn’t matter if that’s sustainable growth are not, people are still working hard even if it is to build ghost cities.

But that other indicator like the Gini index is also correct. There is a lot of money earned but it doesn’t go to the labor class. And that’s where usually unions come in. In my country unions were started to negotiate because the labor class started to torch the mansions and factories of the owner class, sometimes with said owners still inside. Negotiations and some strikes were preferred above the torch and pitchfork style of handling things.

That’s history of course, and especially in USA the owner class if very good at dividing and gaslighting the labor class to keep this from happening, so members of the labor class start pointing at ghost cities in China instead off what’s happening and who’s pulling their strings.