| Labor shortage in 2009 will spur wages growth |
SHANGHAI, May 11 -- China may face a shortage in its work force in two years time because the amount of surplus labor will not be as great as has been estimated and this is expected to lead to wage increases, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences said in a statement yesterday.
Rural surplus labor under 40 years old in the country totals 52 million, the report said, refuting the earlier figure that China has up to 150 million rural surplus laborers, accounting for 30 percent of rural labor forces.
The report estimated that the shortage of laborers may occur in 2009, which will trigger the growth of wages for rural laborers.
Official survey data showed that per capita net income in the rural area rose by 12 percent year-on-year in 2004 and 11 percent in 2005, compared with an average of around 5 percent during 2001-2003.
Labor shortages have cropped up not only in thriving coastal towns, but in inland cities.
China's labor shortage also can be blamed on an aging population, an earlier report said.
In the past 25 years, China's economy maintained high growth thanks to sufficient numbers of young and middle-aged workers.
But today, China's aging population has reached the world's average level, while per capita GDP is one fifth of the world average
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