Many of China’s traditionally prosperous regions, like the Yangtze and the Pearl River deltas, are experiencing labor shortages despite the return of millions of migrant workers to the cities to look for new jobs after the Spring Festival.
The English People’s Daily Online reports that the population of migrant workers in China is around 230 million, among whom 140 million had worked outside their hometowns.
Now, because of the spread of industry across China, work is often available nearer home. Children are also a reason why migrants refuse to work far away from home.
A survey by the All-China Women’s Federation showed that China has about 58 million left-behind children in rural areas. Of these, 40 million are below the age of 14.