China's aging migrant workforce puts manufacturers in labor crunch

DALIAN, China -- China's aging migrant workers are creating a factory laborer shortage, threatening the country's position as a manufacturing powerhouse as rising labor costs erode its cost advantages.

The total number of migrant workers  -- those who leave their rural hometowns to work in urban centers -- reached a record high of 297 million in 2023, according to China's National Bureau of Statistics. Of those, 31% were over 50, triple the level in 2008 when records began. The average age was 43 years old, up 9 years since 2008.