Low-skilled jobs top list of labor needs

There's a dire shortage of labor available for some positions in the service and manufacturing sectors in China, according to a recent employment list issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The ministry, for the first time, released a list of 100 professions that have major demand.

Vacancies for sales positions, cashiers, restaurant waiters, security guards and custodial workers topped the list, followed by manufacturing professionals, including lathe operators, welders and porters, according to the ministry.

In June, the National Bureau of Statistics released a report showing that the growth of the migrant worker population had slowed last year for the first time since 2015. There were 288.3 million migrant workers in 2018, indicating slower growth－0.6 percentage points year-on-year.

"Usually, we believe that sectors closely related to high technology, with a need for skilled labor, face the toughest situation," said Yin Baoming, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security. "But it's the same with jobs requiring relatively low skills. They are also key."

He said that the 100 professional categories having the greatest demand－42 in the service sector and 36 in manufacturing－showed people's increasing pursuit of high-quality service jobs and better working environments.

Chen Lixiang, deputy director of the China Institute of Occupation Research at Peking University, said it boils down to social psychology that parents－especially those who have been or continue to be migrant workers－are unwilling to let their children take jobs that require physical strength but low skills.

"The younger generation themselves also show unwillingness to work at such positions," he said.

The 58 Tongcheng Recruitment Research Institute, a division for 58.com, a jobs website, said in a new report that people's stereotype of low-skilled positions and employers' higher requirements may help explain the manpower shortage.

People usually think low-skill workers such as cashiers or salesman labor in poor conditions with low salaries. And that deters people from seeking such positions, the report said.

The low prestige that comes with such jobs also discourages job-seekers, it said.

Lin Qing, 23, from Jiangsu province, worked as a receptionist for a cybercafe in Beijing but quit last year. She is now studying for the test to get into a vocational college.

"I felt hopeless after working for almost three years," she said. "My work brought me no respect or sense of dignity. I don't want to live a life of hard physical work anymore."

Chen Lixiang, the deputy institute director, said it's important to improve employees' working environments and salaries to lure more workers, and also to offer them training courses to help enhance their skills.

He remains positive about the current labor situation.

"The government and companies alike are making efforts to promote skills training, which will help ease the problem," he said.