Nation has no labor shortage
Source: Xinhua |
March 9, 2011, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
LABOR shortages are a structural problem which mainly affect the labor-intensive manufacturing and service sectors in east coastal areas, China's human resources minister said yesterday.
"On the whole, China still has a labor surplus, and the shortage mainly arises from difficulties in hiring assembly line operators," said Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security.
The workforce shortage, which seems to be spreading to central and western China, is attributable to rising demand for labor as the economy recovers, more job opportunities in the fast developing central and western regions, and young rural workers' increased expectations, said Yin.
However, the labor shortage for some firms this year was less severe than the same period last year, he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing parliamentary session.
Meanwhile, Yin said a pinch of rising labor costs felt by Chinese factories contributes to the nation's economic restructuring.
China faces a dilemma that underpaid factory workers demand higher wages while many small export-oriented factories could not afford the rising costs of labor and raw materials, he said.
"Rising labor costs, however, could push for the transformation of the economic development pattern," he said.
The wage increase could be realized through more consultations between employers and employees, he noted.
After decades of economic boom on the back of cheap labor and intensive energy use, China wants to make the economy more technology-dependent and vowed to make more ordinary people share the benefits of the growth.
In the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), China aims to increase the disposable income of urban and rural residents by at least 7 percent a year, the same rate as the GDP growth target.
The minimum wage should increase by at least 13 percent a year over the next five years.
"On the whole, China still has a labor surplus, and the shortage mainly arises from difficulties in hiring assembly line operators," said Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security.
The workforce shortage, which seems to be spreading to central and western China, is attributable to rising demand for labor as the economy recovers, more job opportunities in the fast developing central and western regions, and young rural workers' increased expectations, said Yin.
However, the labor shortage for some firms this year was less severe than the same period last year, he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing parliamentary session.
Meanwhile, Yin said a pinch of rising labor costs felt by Chinese factories contributes to the nation's economic restructuring.
China faces a dilemma that underpaid factory workers demand higher wages while many small export-oriented factories could not afford the rising costs of labor and raw materials, he said.
"Rising labor costs, however, could push for the transformation of the economic development pattern," he said.
The wage increase could be realized through more consultations between employers and employees, he noted.
After decades of economic boom on the back of cheap labor and intensive energy use, China wants to make the economy more technology-dependent and vowed to make more ordinary people share the benefits of the growth.
In the 12th Five-Year Plan period (2011-2015), China aims to increase the disposable income of urban and rural residents by at least 7 percent a year, the same rate as the GDP growth target.
The minimum wage should increase by at least 13 percent a year over the next five years.
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