China population: agricultural innovation could help boost urban workforce by tens of millions, demographers say
- China’s agriculture sector accounted for 23 per cent of its total employment 2021, compared to just 3 per cent in high-income countries
- Shrinking China’s rural workforce by 10 percentage points could see an increase of 78 million urban workers, according to according to demographer Cai Fang
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Chinese farmers give up on making a living from the land despite government focus on food security
China could release tens of millions of people into its urban workforce by increasing agricultural productivity, demographers said, which could help offset its demographic crisis caused by a declining population and a rapidly ageing society.
The agriculture sector accounted for 23 per cent of China’s total employment by 2021, compared to just 3 per cent in high-income countries.
But releasing 10 percentage points of China’s rural workforce could lead to an increase of 78 million urban workers, which is more than the total labour force of Pakistan or Russia, according to Cai Fang, chief demographic expert at the National Think Tank.
“The shrinking in the total number of labourers could be offset by structural adjustments,” former Chinese Academy of Social Sciences vice-president Cai said at a China Finance 40 Forum event on Thursday.
Last year, China’s urban jobs dropped by 8.4 million to 459.31 million, which was the first drop in six decades, as the working age population fell, the participation rate sank and companies faced contractions amid economic downturns.
