A PLA conscription poster. Photo: PLA Daily
Frank Chen, Asia Times: PLA faces enlistment crunch with fewer young Chinese
The country has fewer youngsters who can enter the labor market and a demographic slump that could force the PLA to get tougher on conscription.
Foxconn, the contracted manufacturer for US tech giant Apple, has been accused of forcing student interns at its Zhengzhou base in central China’s Henan province to work extra hours in a bid to rev up output of iPhone Xs for an expected sales boom over the festive season.
Labor rights issues aside, the revelation comes amid a trend that may be worrying for some in China – the country now has fewer youngsters who can enter the labor market and shore up productivity, a demographic slump that could hurt its economic future.
A report by Beijing-based China Remin University has sounded the alarm: the national workforce aged between 15-59 has decreased by 20 million within the past five years, from the peak of 925 million in 2011, and is forecast to shrink to 700 million by 2050.
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WNU Editor: They will find a way to fill their ranks. That is something that I do not have any doubts on.
3 comments:
I bet there are a lot of automation opportunities they have not implemented to keep people employed. When need arrises they can implement them and free up the manpower.
The Chinese are actually quite casualty averse re: warfare. A one child policy has produced a preponderance if primary school patriarchs.
It won't take too any thousands of only sons and heirs dying - in Africa, for instance - to have a large Chinese public cry, "HALT!"
Steven, you're spot on. This, powered by narrow AIs, will come very soon and shock the world. Just look at Russia's Kalashnikov company going all in to build a range of autonomous weapon system platforms (no longer "dumb" rifles)
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