Chinese New Year spotlights China’s labor issues
Released on 2011-10-24 16:00 | readings
中国新年期间，春运是最热门的话题之一。为了春节回家团聚而一路奔波的外地劳工，在拥挤的火车站和飞机场随处可见。在这些劳工回家过年之际，一些厂商也由于今年升高的劳动成本问题，考虑“搬家”。一些沿海地区的制造企业，正在考虑搬到内陆地区。可以看出，大多数外地劳工都务工于珠江三角洲一带的沿海城市。当地企业对提价的劳工工资做出应对措施，准备搬离或者裁员时，正影响到了这些正兴高采烈准备回家团年的外地劳工。他们很可能过完年后因为上述原因失去工作或者直接在当地务工。这样一来，原本需要大量劳动力的沿海城市和传统工业区将出现劳动力短缺的现象。深圳龙冠人力资源部经理刘洪说：“我敢百分之一千的肯定，工厂将找不到足够的劳动力。”
根据路透社报道，在东莞火车站，出现这样的景象：外来劳工推着箱子，拄着竹竿，背着的大尼龙袋里面装着用血汗钱换来的礼物回家乡。24岁的樊镇在塑料厂工作，正准备会河南老家。他说“我希望通过自己的努力，赚更多的钱。”与此相反，众多企业由于劳动成本的增加和激烈的市场竞争而陷入困境。
展望新的一年，当许多当地政府开始增加最低收入标准的同时，许多制造企业将面临破产的威胁。香港工业总会名誉会长Slement陈说：“此政策会对制造业，尤其是劳动密集型企业造成严重的压力。”
随着许多内陆城市的城市化和经济飞速发展，最低劳工收入随之增加的同时，也影响了外地劳工去传统沿海地区务工的积极性。许多公司厌倦了不断增加的劳动成本和生产成本，而沿海城地区又面临着劳动力短缺的问题。这些公司计划撤离劳动密集型的生产线，例如高端皮具品牌蔻驰本周宣称将逐步把手提包和钱包的生产线转到越南和印度。中国劳动公报表示：“许多血汗工厂将会被新型增值企业所取代，而濒临威胁。”
Millions migrant workers trek home among the crowding China’s railways stations and airports due to annual Lunar New Year; meanwhile, many manufacturers are pulling up stakes and moving to less costly locales in the hinterlands due to the rising wages and labor unrest in coastal manufacturing regions. The fact is most of the migrant workers are working in the traditional manufacturing belts in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas, if their employer takes action for higher labor cost, such as moving out of China or shearing the employees, the workers who are now bubbling over with good cheer to go home for New Year reunion may very likely stay back in their home villages after the long New Year holidays bringing about the labor shortage issue in the traditional coastal area. "I'm 1,000 percent sure the factories won't be able to find enough workers," said Liu Hong, a manager at the Longguan human resources market in Shenzhen, one of the region's largest.
According to Reuters, at the East Dongguan train station, migrant workers wheeled suitcases, hefted sacks on bamboo poles and lugged nylon bags bursting with family gifts, bought with those fatter paychecks. "I hope, of course, my wages get higher year after year," said Fan Zhen, a 24-year-old plastics worker heading back to his village in central Henan. "I want to work hard and earn more." On the contrary, many firms are in a dilemma with the increasingly high labor cost and fierce competition.
Looking forward to a new year, while the local governments in many regions responded by raising minimum wages, the new challenging is a number of manufactures may be out of business. Slement Chen, an honorary president of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and a veteran industrialist in the region said: “It’ll impose tremendous pressure on the manufacturing sector, especially the labor intensive industries.”
Rapid urbanization and economic development in China's interiors has helped drive up wages and reduced the incentives for workers to seek work in coastal factory hubs. Many firms -- fed up with rising wages and production costs, along with labor shortage in coastal regions ---- are planning to move labor-intensive production out of China, such as Coach. Premium leather-goods brand Coach, Inc said this week it would gradually slash production of handbags and wallets in China and shift to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam and India. "A lot of sweatshop factories will go out of business and more value-added enterprises will eventually take their place," according to China Labor Bulletin.
中国新年期间，春运是最热门的话题之一。为了春节回家团聚而一路奔波的外地劳工，在拥挤的火车站和飞机场随处可见。在这些劳工回家过年之际，一些厂商也由于今年升高的劳动成本问题，考虑“搬家”。一些沿海地区的制造企业，正在考虑搬到内陆地区。可以看出，大多数外地劳工都务工于珠江三角洲一带的沿海城市。当地企业对提价的劳工工资做出应对措施，准备搬离或者裁员时，正影响到了这些正兴高采烈准备回家团年的外地劳工。他们很可能过完年后因为上述原因失去工作或者直接在当地务工。这样一来，原本需要大量劳动力的沿海城市和传统工业区将出现劳动力短缺的现象。深圳龙冠人力资源部经理刘洪说：“我敢百分之一千的肯定，工厂将找不到足够的劳动力。”
根据路透社报道，在东莞火车站，出现这样的景象：外来劳工推着箱子，拄着竹竿，背着的大尼龙袋里面装着用血汗钱换来的礼物回家乡。24岁的樊镇在塑料厂工作，正准备会河南老家。他说“我希望通过自己的努力，赚更多的钱。”与此相反，众多企业由于劳动成本的增加和激烈的市场竞争而陷入困境。
展望新的一年，当许多当地政府开始增加最低收入标准的同时，许多制造企业将面临破产的威胁。香港工业总会名誉会长Slement陈说：“此政策会对制造业，尤其是劳动密集型企业造成严重的压力。”
随着许多内陆城市的城市化和经济飞速发展，最低劳工收入随之增加的同时，也影响了外地劳工去传统沿海地区务工的积极性。许多公司厌倦了不断增加的劳动成本和生产成本，而沿海城地区又面临着劳动力短缺的问题。这些公司计划撤离劳动密集型的生产线，例如高端皮具品牌蔻驰本周宣称将逐步把手提包和钱包的生产线转到越南和印度。中国劳动公报表示：“许多血汗工厂将会被新型增值企业所取代，而濒临威胁。”
Millions migrant workers trek home among the crowding China’s railways stations and airports due to annual Lunar New Year; meanwhile, many manufacturers are pulling up stakes and moving to less costly locales in the hinterlands due to the rising wages and labor unrest in coastal manufacturing regions. The fact is most of the migrant workers are working in the traditional manufacturing belts in the Pearl River and Yangtze River deltas, if their employer takes action for higher labor cost, such as moving out of China or shearing the employees, the workers who are now bubbling over with good cheer to go home for New Year reunion may very likely stay back in their home villages after the long New Year holidays bringing about the labor shortage issue in the traditional coastal area. "I'm 1,000 percent sure the factories won't be able to find enough workers," said Liu Hong, a manager at the Longguan human resources market in Shenzhen, one of the region's largest.
According to Reuters, at the East Dongguan train station, migrant workers wheeled suitcases, hefted sacks on bamboo poles and lugged nylon bags bursting with family gifts, bought with those fatter paychecks. "I hope, of course, my wages get higher year after year," said Fan Zhen, a 24-year-old plastics worker heading back to his village in central Henan. "I want to work hard and earn more." On the contrary, many firms are in a dilemma with the increasingly high labor cost and fierce competition.
Looking forward to a new year, while the local governments in many regions responded by raising minimum wages, the new challenging is a number of manufactures may be out of business. Slement Chen, an honorary president of the Federation of Hong Kong Industries and a veteran industrialist in the region said: “It’ll impose tremendous pressure on the manufacturing sector, especially the labor intensive industries.”
Rapid urbanization and economic development in China's interiors has helped drive up wages and reduced the incentives for workers to seek work in coastal factory hubs. Many firms -- fed up with rising wages and production costs, along with labor shortage in coastal regions ---- are planning to move labor-intensive production out of China, such as Coach. Premium leather-goods brand Coach, Inc said this week it would gradually slash production of handbags and wallets in China and shift to lower-cost countries such as Vietnam and India. "A lot of sweatshop factories will go out of business and more value-added enterprises will eventually take their place," according to China Labor Bulletin.