The labour shortage in the Pearl River Delta has worsened, despite measures by the Guangdong provincial government to alleviate the problem.
'It is worse than last year. Trains carrying migrant workers coming back to the Pearl River Delta after Lunar New Year are less crowded than they were last year,' said a managing director of a Hong Kong toy manufacturer that employs more than 30,000 workers.
'The shortage will not be felt immediately because the toy industry is in a low season now, but the peak season starting in May will bring serious problems.'
The number of migrant workers returning to Guangzhou after Lunar New Year has fallen by 7.6 per cent compared with last year, according to the Guangzhou-based Southern Metropolis News.
'The labour shortage is very serious. [It is] more serious than last year and deteriorating,' said Pan Rihui, executive vice-secretary of the Dongguan Association of the Textile and Garment Industry in Dalang township.
The Guangdong provincial labour department lifted restrictions on recruiting migrant workers for a one-month period starting from February 9, but the impact has been negligible, manufacturers say.
