HOW to Look at the ＂Migrant Worker Shortage＂ from an Economic Perspective  

作　　者：郑秉文 

机构地区：[1]Director of Institute of Latin American Studies, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences

出　　处：《China Economist》2011年第1期32-39,共8页中国经济学人（英文版）

摘　　要：The ＂migrant worker shortage＂ which occurred several）pears ago and the recent ＂labor shortage＂ were both caused by an imbalance between the supply and demand of migrant workers. It is a periodical outcome of spontaneous adjustment by the migrant labor market. As rural welfare was greatly enhanced in 2009, migrant workers＇ opportunity cost of working outside their hometowns was raised. The connotation of migrant workers＇ ＂market price＂ is changing. The new generation of migrant workers, namely, those born after 1980, are becoming the mainstay of enterprises＇ employment. Being better educated, they have different lifestyles than previous generations. ＂Leisure and entertainment＂ have become part of their opportunity cost and reduced their labor supply. ＂Labor shortage＂ is an endogenous force that helps transform China＇s growth patter, upgrade the industrial structure and promote urbanization. The seasonal ＂return of migrant workers＂ and the ＂labor shortage＂ which appears around China＇s Spring Festival each year have grown into a unique b,t effective collective bargaining mechanism that helps increase migrant workers＇ wages. Facing labor shortages, governments should regulate the labor market pricing and orientate labor-intensive enterprises towards transition, continue to enhance the social security system for migrant workers and those in rural areas, and make an accurate forecast of the population trend and adjust population policies.

关 键 词：labor shortage migrant workers＇ wages market pricing of migrant workers labor supply transition of the growth pattern 

分 类 号：F124[经济管理—世界经济] F249.21