Labor-Related Survey

To size up the situation between labor demand and migrant worker employment, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security carried out a survey among 3,239 companies and 9,081 migrant workers from 26 large and medium-sized cities and 90 counties before the Spring Festival. The results were published on February 25. Edited excerpts follow:

● Labor demand rose 15 percent compared with last year. Among the surveyed companies, 70 percent say they expect some difficulty in recruiting workers this year.

● Labor demand in the eastern areas continues to grow, with every company planning to recruit 156 workers on average, almost identical to the same period last year. Labor demand in the central and western areas is increasing markedly, with every company planning to recruit 61 workers on average, 16 percentage points higher than the result of the previous survey.

● Companies estimate they will have to provide a 9-percent increase to average salary figures for employees. Migrant workers expect an increase of more than 14 percent in 2010.

● Among returning migrant workers, 62 percent clearly stated their intention to look for work outside their hometowns after the Spring Festival, 6 percentage points lower than the previous year. Thirty percent of returning workers said working conditions would determine if they returned to coastal areas to work, also 6 percentage points higher. The remaining 8 percent said they will not look for work outside their hometowns, mainly because the salaries are too low or they are preparing to start a business in their hometowns.

Among those who are looking for work, 74 percent are going back to their former companies. Others will not, due to low salaries, long overtime hours, no prospects for advancement or a lack of opportunities to learn new technologies.

(Source: Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security)