This conference presentation summarises the key research findings that were generated from a PhD research project which looks at the lived experience of disabled people in China (mainland) when it comes to employment. This paper will quickly review the structure and agency debate in the sociological literature, followed by a quick summary of the key research aims and objectives. The qualitative interview data will be presented from the perspective of three key players that influence the employment choices of disabled people – family, the state and privatised labour market. This paper will highlight that although China has achieved substantial economic achievement over the past decades thanks to the reform and restoration of the market, disabled people are significantly marginalised due to the regulated market sector and legacy political restrictions. Three key factors will be focused on this presentation – Hukou, social class and education. These three important factors advantage some groups of citizens with prestigious social status, while systematically disadvantaging those ‘underdogs’ which most of the interviewees in this research has included.