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Reading China
Dongguan will 100K stortage, Shenzhen with 120K shortage
Labor Shortage has become a hot topic in media lately
I can't find anyone, so I'll have to hire day workers
Companies can't find workers, but it's even harder for workers to find a good job
There are a lot of opening, they can't give enough pay!
Reading China takes you to World's Factor Dongguan. And investigate the truth about labor shortages
The truth behind labor stortages in Dongguan
What exactly is the so-called labor shortage in the media?
And what deep issues are behind this phenomenon?
How our migrant working brother should face the labor shortage in the pearl delta?
Please follow our camera, to walk a bit, see a bit, listen a bit and to think a bit
Actually labor shortage isn't new to this area
Before this crisis, there was always seasonal shortages around July and August
Because of the high volume of order in the summer
The shortage appeared after the finacial crisis, have several difference with usually shortages
But one thing remains the same, the shortage occurs at labor intensive industries
We'll now enter into a toy factory to have a deeper understanding
-Are you Xiouyin? -Dai Xiouyin, hello
-Are you the CEO here? -Yes
Her name is Dao Xiouyin, she's the CEO of this factory
She told us, during its hight. The factory employed 600 workers
But during the financial crisis, the factory suffered heavy losses with only 200 workers left
Now she finally got the long awaited order, but now she can't find enough workers
So what is the shortage acutally like?
For our factory and the factories around here
The shortage is very serious, for example the sewing department should have 120 operators
But there is 80 right now, we are short 40% of workers
The shortage is very serious, you should say it's a dought of labors
We saw area that used to be full of workers, now only sets empty machines
Miss Dai told us this row was empty ever since the financial crisis
Some of the order she have taken, now have to be canceled because of the shortage
This has made her very anixous, though she had more than 10 years in the industry
Under pressure, she went looking for day workers with the HR manager
Not far from the factory, there is basket ball court
Every morning many tempory work seekers would gather here
The market here are all temp workers, there are no contract worker here
So according to the needs of the factory, we would just ask around here
(something about you can't drove around and hiring people.)
The temp workers are paid hourly, and the rate is hired than long term workers
But in order to fulfill contract, they (managers) must pay more to hire these temp workers
If I give you 5 yuan/hr, would you do it?
5 yuan/hr... too low
-How much do you want? -at least more than 5
-How much do you want then? -the markets...now.. well
Even the bagger makers gets more than 6.5 yuan
When we come here, we all have to haggle, like hourly rates
They would only come if we met the price in their mind. that's how it is now
Due to disagreement to pay, a hour has passed with no result
The factories push prices too low, we can't even eat well
The envirnment sucks too much, the pay is too low
In order to fulfill orders, she finally hired a few workers with high prices
Dai Xiouyin said about 40 of her worker are temp workers
because these worker are paid by time rather than by contract
many of them would work slowly, to ensure effiency and quality. She have to go to the floor every day
Before I came here, I saw you're joking around
why?
-What? -Nothing
Can't you work like, so slowly?
Can you finish your work today?
Don't joke around during work hours
Everytime when she saw scenes like these, she remember when she was a factory worker
She could feel the workers today are totally different from her generation
When I started out, most factories don't want worker
So I wanted a job badly. When got a job, I would work very hard and very serious
Because I'm afraid my boss or my manager don't want me anymore
So that we though back then
But now it's totally different, they are not afraid of us anymore
They would say you can fire me anymore time
They just don't care, if they can't work here, they'll work somewhere else
Everyday, she would arrange the toys in the showroom, she treat every product here like her own child
We just design this one, and we patented this item too
In the last Canton trade fair, we got a 100k orders for these
I'm thinking that, because of the shortages here. We probably can't make any of it
We lack workers, that toy factory bosses are under a lot of pressure
So a person, starts out with a good personality but because of the pressures
became very tempermental, annoying and bad
So the saying goes, all the toy factory bosses are mental patients
To get around the shortage of workers, and continue the company
She start to have new ideas
I'm thinking that, in a few year, even next year
We'll only have a office here, to get the orders. afterwards, we'll just outsource it to the interiors
In Dongguan, labor intentive industries like toys are facing mounting shortages
So how are things at High-tech industries that require higher educated workers?
So we arrived at Taiwanese funded equipment factory
In companies that requre skilled worker, how are they coping with labor shotages
So we're at a Taiwanese funded factory to see how they face and resolve these problems