Harvesting the fruits of labor

Low-cost workers will continue to propel country's economic growth but industry needs more high-caliber workers

Since the adoption of the reform and opening-up policy three decades ago, China's sustained and rapid economic growth has benefited from the labor advantage provided by the continuous transfer of surplus rural labor.

Before 2003, a young migrant worker's monthly wage was long maintained at about 600 yuan ($91.5). After 2005, their average wages per month surpassed 1,000 yuan, an increase of more than 60 percent in about two years. Amid the global financial crisis, Chinese migrant workers' monthly wages saw a year-on-year increase of 10 to 20 percent.