As China’s population ages, the world’s factory struggles to recruit young migrant workers
- For a new generation of Chinese migrant workers, labour-intensive factory work no longer has the same appeal as it did for their parents
- As the country’s migrant workforce gets older and smaller, labour shortages are starting to be felt in some traditional manufacturing sectors
This is the third in a series of stories on China’s job market, looking at its history, the role of migrant workers, inequality and the future for its graduates entering the workforce.
After riding out the worst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Chinese factory owner Cai Zhongpeng is turning his attention to another, arguably more dangerous long-term threat: a shortage of workers.
The 37-year-old businessman, who makes infrared heating bulbs for livestock, is one of scores of small manufacturers dotted across the world’s second largest economy who is finding it increasingly difficult to find employees as the nation’s migrant workforce shrinks and ages.
“There are about 60 workers in my factory and most of them are in their early 50s,” said Cai, a second-generation businessman who runs Fengrun Electric Lighting in Huzhou, a city in the eastern province of Zhejiang.
Most of the workers in factories around the country are in their 40s and 50s now, and it’s rare to see young manufacturing workers
“Most of the workers in factories around the country are in their 40s and 50s now, and it’s rare to see young manufacturing workers.”
