Decentralization and polycentric spatial structure are important strategies to improve urban planning in China. A study focused on the Beijing Metropolitan Area found that employment was spreading out from the city center to multiple subcenters. While the main city area remained dominant, the overall structure became more polycentric over time. This shift led to a pattern of "all centers aggregation" in the metropolitan area and "subcenter agglomeration" in the central district of Beijing between 2004 and 2013. The findings suggest that the urban spatial structure in Beijing is evolving towards a more decentralized and polycentric model, with employment becoming more dispersed across different areas.