Jobs Go Begging at Chinese Factories

Many migrant employees want something different or are just staying home
By Bob Cronin,  Newser Staff
Posted Aug 25, 2021 7:00 PM CDT
Jobs Go Begging at Chinese Factories
Workers line up to get tested for COVID-19 at the Foxconn factory in Wuhan in central China's Hubei province earlier this month.   (Chinatopix via AP)

Like workers in the US, much of China's labor force is reconsidering its options, leaving factories across the country with openings. There are parallels to the situation in the US, with many workers shifting to higher-paying jobs, often in the service industry, and many migrants deciding to just stay home, the Wall Street Journal reports. But China has a unique wrinkle: Part of the cause is the one-child policy, which was in effect until five years ago. The demographics have not turned employers' way; the labor pool is shrinking. "China has long exhausted its demographic dividend," said an economist in Hong Kong. Working against the employers are:

  • Labor pool demographics. Over the next five years, the government estimates, the workforce is expected to decline by about 35 million. The pool is aging, too. One factory owner said the age of his average employee was about 28 a decade ago and is now at least 35. Overall, the percentage of China's migrant workers 30 or younger has been dropping consistently.
  • The pandemic. Many workers who quit going to factories during the pandemic are still at home, in some cases looking for work close to home because they worry especially about catching the coronavirus in big cities.
  • Changing attitudes. "Young people are no longer willing to take up just any type of hard jobs," the Hong Kong economist said. "They have much higher expectations for what a job can bring, and they can afford to wait longer." A factor owner sees it similarly: "Unlike our generation, young people’s attitudes towards work have changed. They can fall back on their parents and don’t have much pressure to make ends meet."
  • Increased demand. Orders have increased for some factories as the delta variant's spread sends more business to China, making the labor shortage felt more acutely.

Looking for solutions, factories are investing in technology more, which helps in a couple of ways, per CNBC. It can open up the age range for hiring. "If an older employee can learn, a job in the auto industry today is no longer one that requires a lot of physical strength," an executive said. Women are being hired more often for jobs in construction, transportation, and other heavy-labor fields, per the Journal. "They work hard and have few complaints," a construction boss said. Li Juyuan worked in a factory in another city before returning home and taking a construction job, which pays better. "Far away from home, without much education and skills, I had always felt being looked down upon," she said. (More China stories.)

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