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Migrant worker shortage lingers on
Yu Shuying, a middle-aged migrant worker in Beijing, would rather clean flats than be a nanny, and her reasons might help young parents trying to find a nurse for their children. As a nanny, she sees little freedom, too much hard work and finds it difficult to maintain a relationship with family members. "All in all, low pay is at the heart of the problem," said Yu, who used to be a nanny and now works as door-to-door house cleaner in the suburban community of Tiantongyuan. Even though Yu considers herself good at cooking, housekeeping and babysitting, she said a nanny earns an average of 500 yuan (US$60) per month, much lower than a cleaner, whose average monthly income is about twice that. "Many of us quit our jobs as nurses and work as house cleaners," Yu said. Women labourers like Yu are in short supply not only in Beijing, but also in coastal China, according to a report released yesterday by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. "Women aged between 18 and 30 are badly needed in factories and companies in East and South China," the report said. Another finding by the ministry was that "labour shortages" have been widespread in South China's Pearl River Delta and East China's Yangtze River Delta since 2003. Even though the report says, "the situation has been improved," the two regions still fall about 2 million workers short overall. "Low pay has made some migrants quit their jobs and choose better ones," said Mo Rong, deputy president of the ministry's Institute of Labour Science Research. "Companies that can pay more are not short of labour." Statistics show that if a company pays a worker less than 700 yuan (US$84) per month, it will have trouble filling vacancies. If the offer is above 1,000 yuan (US$120) per month, migrant labourers will flock. As China's economy enters another period of fast development, many factories are expanding and needing more labourers. Mo urged all local governments to increase their minimum pay benchmarks and authorize migrants to ask their bosses for more money and better treatment. "Most importantly, as more farmers join the urban labour force, they should get equal treatment as urban residents," said Mo, meaning equal pay and better housing, education of their children and social security.
(China Daily 06/29/2005 page2)
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