Will leveraging China’s massive workforce offset its declining population? Demographers explain
- Though India may already be the world’s most populous nation, demographers point to long-held advantages and opportunities for China if action is taken
- China’s labour resources seen growing until at least 2040, and many retirees are still capable of working – if utilised, they may offset some pressure from an ageing population
“Although India’s population size may surpass that of China, it will be challenging for India to be equipped with the same demographic resources that supported China’s rapid economic growth,” contends Li Long, a demographics researcher at Renmin University, who spoke during a seminar held by the China Population Association in early June.
“We should not overlook the advantages inherent in China’s enormous population, including the quality population, distribution advantage, [high] labour productivity and labour force participation,” he said.
The percentage of China’s working-age population and participation rates have always been higher than those of India during the same developmental stage, and India is unlikely to beat the historic records seen in China in the next 40 years, Li predicted.
In addition, Li said that China’s younger workers have traditionally become more educated at a faster rate than in India, that the urbanisation process was much more rapid in China during its corresponding developmental period, and that these factors still serve to enhance China’s talent capitalisation.