Labor shortage hits Chinese Pearl River print industry

Business enterprises in Dongguan, Guangdong Province – a key center of the Chinese printing industry – are recovering from the economic crisis but running into an increasingly serious labor shortage. Statistics from the local labor and social security department show that since the second half of 2009, more than 90 percent of enterprises found it difficult to recruit employees.

Only 4,000 job seekers responded to the manufacturing industry’s special recruitment campaign held not long ago – in contrast with over 11,000 job vacancies. It is estimated that the serious imbalance between supply and demand in the human resources market has led to a supply-demand gap exceeding 50 percent. Enterprises are itching for more labor hands at the same time as a huge number of migrant workers head for home for the Spring Festival. Some enterprises do not even dare to accept orders. Experts believe that the main reason for the shortage of migrant workers in the Peal River Delta is the higher pay in the hinterland cities.