It is difficult to see young people in factories in 2021. There are almost no people born in the 1990s in a factory with 400 employees. How to interpret this phenomenon?

In a factory with three to four hundred people, not even ten percent are young people. "Recently, the owner of a garment factory in Xiantao, Hubei Province complained to the Red Star Capital Bureau that young people are unwilling to come and older people cannot work. If this continues, he is worried that the factory will be "out of business."

Manufacturing Difficulties in recruiting workers and labor shortages are not new topics. In previous years, when a large number of migrant workers returned to their hometowns, "labor shortages" often occurred. In the past two years, due to the epidemic, "labor shortages" have become more obvious.

On the streets of Guangzhou, factory owners lined up for 3 kilometers holding signs to recruit workers; while in another news article, it appeared that "the monthly salary of delivery riders exceeds 10,000 yuan, and those born in 1995 and 2000 account for half of the sky."

Among the 100 occupations with the "most shortage of workers" in the country recently released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in the third quarter of 2021, 58 belong to "production, manufacturing and related personnel". The latest data shows that by 2025, China's top 10 manufacturing industries will be included. The total number of talents in key fields will be close to 62 million, and the talent demand gap will be nearly 30 million, with a gap rate as high as 48.

An interview with Red Star Capital Bureau found that the supply and demand relationship between young people and factories is still difficult to balance. Under the impact of the employment model, how can factories "change their minds"?

They are struggling to recruit:

There are almost no post-90s generation in the 400-person factory

Xiao Chen, who works in human resources at Foxconn in Shenzhen, posts a wave of "job advertisements" on social platforms almost every three or four days. He often takes pictures of the factory environment and the young people in the factory, trying to Refreshing the outside world’s understanding of factories.

At the end of November, Shenzhen adjusted the minimum wage standard. Starting from January 1, 2022, the monthly minimum wage standard for full-time employed workers will be adjusted from 2,200 yuan to 2,360 yuan. , the hourly minimum wage for part-time workers was adjusted from 20.3 yuan to 22.2 yuan. In those days, Xiao Chen took the opportunity to send out several recruitment messages, but there were only a few inquiries from job seekers. Most of the time it’s summer, when prices are as high as 29 yuan or 30 yuan an hour, and “it’s too difficult to recruit workers in electronics factories.”

Lao Li, who runs a clothing factory in Xiantao, Hubei, is also looking for workers. He told Red Star Capital Bureau that because there were not many orders at the end of the year, many factories simply went on holiday. But after the new year, it was still unclear whether they could recruit suitable employees. 5. Around 60. "

Shortage of workers seems to have become the norm in factories, and Lao Li's feeling has been particularly obvious in recent years. "In the past, when recruiting workers, we would hold up a sign and go to the intersection of the industrial park. If 100 people came to ask, 50 would choose to join the factory. . "Now, with the Internet, there are more channels for recruiting workers than before, but the effect is not as good as before.

Lao Li's garment factory has nearly 400 people, which is not considered small in the local area, but the number of people in the factory is There are only a handful of young people. “There are almost no people born in the 1990s, and those born in the 1980s are already considered ‘young people’. "In this factory of 400 people, there are only "a few percent" of young people.

"The factory has been shrinking. "Lao Li is worried that this has become a trend.

They are eager to leave:

They have not been out of the factory for two months and are very depressed and like they are isolated from the world

Young people are reluctant to enter the factory, and the young people in the factory are also eager to escape.

After changing three factories in one year, Xiaoliang still chose to "completely leave" the working environment and working hours. There was a big difference between Xiaoliang and his peers in terms of salary and benefits.

Last year, Xiaoliang, who majored in automation, chose to work as a technician in the factory because he was the right person. In name, he is a technician, but in fact he is just a handyman. "Following production, shift inspections, and maintenance are his main jobs.

Factories located on the edge of the city were complained by Xiao Liang as "lack of popularity." The three factories he experienced were in industrial zones. , the seaside and the village. The one farthest from the city is a 2-hour drive from the city center.

In the factory, overtime is inevitable.

Take the normal shift as an example, from 7:40 am to 5:50 pm, and occasionally overtime until 9 or 10 pm. He also worked in "four shifts and three shifts", in which he had to work from 8 a.m. to 16 p.m. one day. After a few hours of rest, he then worked from 24 o'clock to 8 a.m. the next day. "The white night is the most difficult day."

The dormitory is only 200 meters away from the factory. Xiao Liang remembers that once when he got busy, he did not leave the factory area for 2 months. Every day, it was two o'clock and one line in the dormitory and factory. "When I rest, I mostly catch up on sleep in the dormitory, and sometimes I sleep for a whole day." This makes Xiaoliang feel "very depressed, like isolated from the world."

Two months ago, Xiao Liang resigned from the factory and found an Internet back-end job, with a salary that was about three times that of his previous job at the factory.

Xiao Qu, who was doing quality inspection at a small factory in Dongguan, also chose to escape from the factory a few months ago. Her working hours are from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., with only two days off a month, and her payment of five social insurances and one housing fund is not guaranteed.

“When I joined the factory in 2018, there were only two people in quality inspection, and the salary was 4,300.” After working now, although the salary has been increased, Xiao Qu finds it difficult to persist.

The conflict between young people and factories:

High wages and good environment VS benefits and costs

The situation of difficulty in recruiting workers and labor shortage is not an isolated case. Coastal industries and a major foreign trade province, many companies generally report that it is difficult to recruit workers.

According to a survey conducted by the National Bureau of Statistics this year that included more than 90,000 industrial enterprises above designated size, about 44% of enterprises reported that difficulty in recruiting workers was the biggest problem they faced. This proportion was also the highest in recent years. new high. In the survey, many companies reported that it is difficult to recruit front-line workers, highly skilled talents, and technical workers. These have also begun to appear in the process of economic recovery.

“Employees want high wages and a good environment; factories want efficiency, and the cost of recruiting newbies is high.” During the recruitment process, Lao Li found that it was always difficult to balance the supply and demand between young job seekers and the factory. .

Lao Li has come into contact with young job seekers who did not want to come because the lighting in the dormitory was not good. On the other hand, young people nowadays rarely master the basic operations when they enter the factory, and they have never been exposed to this industry. Novices in the craftsmanship lead to low efficiency. "When I was young, there were special training classes to learn skills, but it seems that there are very few such professional institutions now."

Low efficiency directly affects salary levels. Lao Li said that the factory pays on a piece-rate basis, and it is normal for skilled workers to earn more than 10,000 yuan a month. But newcomers cannot reach it, which also affects their income.

The "2020 Research Report on Front-line Blue-collar Labor Shortage" shows that the low willingness of young people to engage in front-line blue-collar jobs is the main reason for the blue-collar labor shortage.

The survey shows that 90% of companies said that the reason for the blue-collar labor shortage is the low willingness of young people to engage in front-line blue-collar jobs; nearly 50% of companies said that the demand for blue-collar workers has increased significantly recently and the working conditions of front-line blue-collar workers may Poor working conditions are the cause of the blue-collar labor shortage. And there has been a trend in the past few years that young people are more inclined to choose the service industry.

Source: CIIC Consulting's "Research Report on Front-line Blue-Collar Labor Shortage in 2020"

Lao Li analyzed that high-intensity work conditions are also the reason why young people do not want to come to the factory. "We work from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., and don't even have a break for lunch. We sit in the factory all day long. This is not only the case in our clothing factory, but also in shoe factories, hardware and electronics factories."

Internet It has been incubating new industries, providing more possibilities for young people's lives. From their perspective, Internet companies can often provide relevant practitioners with better benefits, lower work intensity, more freedom in working hours, and most importantly, high enough wages.

Xiao Liang fully agrees with this. He said that after staying in a factory for a long time, he will be particularly envious of the "freedom" of other young people. "To put it bluntly, I hate manufacturing in my heart, and I envy the fact that I can drink coffee every day when I work in the city." , people who can still go out to play at night”

It is difficult to find jobs and find workers

Traditional factories and vocational education are in urgent need of transformation

In June this year, the National Bureau of Statistics Spokesperson Fu Linghui once mentioned that this year there will be more than 14 million new urban labor force, including 9.09 million college graduates.

At the same time, in terms of structure, "difficulties in finding employment for college students" and "difficulties in recruiting workers for enterprises" coexist.

At the same time, the manufacturing industry is facing the aging trend of experienced skilled workers, which will directly lead to the shortage of skilled workers, no replacement for the ladder, and the emergence of gaps.

“Specifically speaking, there are two levels of population shortage in the manufacturing industry. One is the lack of skilled operators, and the other is the lack of senior comprehensive professionals.” Qi Hai, President of Beijing Teyi Sunshine New Energy In an interview with Red Star Capital Bureau, Shen said that capable factories need to speed up their transformation and upgrading. They cannot just train their "muscles", but also evolve their "brains."

Qi Haishen believes that the cultivation of senior compound talents should be promoted rapidly and continuously in the long term for manufacturing companies. "The lack of comprehensive talents in the field of intelligent manufacturing has to a large extent restricted the level of industrial modernization in our country." In the future, some low-end manufacturing companies that do not have the ability to upgrade and lack high-end talents will eventually face the possibility of being eliminated. It will become more important to seize transformation opportunities, cultivate talents, and choose the right path for upgrading and transformation.

On the other hand, the recognition of vocational education by the entire society also needs to be changed urgently.

Those young people who choose to enter the factory often regard it as a "short transition". Xiao Liang said that some of the young colleagues in the factory were studying, taking exams, or taking public exams during their breaks. “If you pass the exam, you will leave the factory. If you fail, you will continue to work and take the exam.”

Factory The rhythm of the factory is difficult to attract young people. "Life in the factory feels like retirement at a glance. Every time I leave the factory gate, I feel a sense of release." Xiao Liang said.

Guo Yuxuan, a researcher at the Economic Research Institute, also said in an interview with Red Star Capital Bureau that if we want to alleviate the employment dilemma of manufacturing companies, we must start with vocational and technical education. "We can learn from the experience of Western developed countries in this regard, combining knowledge such as intelligent manufacturing and data management with front-line technical capabilities, raising professional knowledge barriers, and cultivating high-quality employment-oriented professional and technical talents."

At present, the cultivation of skilled talents is attracting attention. On December 9, the Office of the Academic Degrees Committee of the State Council issued the "Opinions on the Authorization and Awarding of Bachelor's Degrees in Undergraduate Vocational Schools." The "Opinions" make it clear that vocational undergraduate programs will be integrated into the existing bachelor's degree system and bachelor's degrees will be awarded according to subject categories. At the same time, general undergraduate degrees and vocational undergraduate degrees have certificates of equal value and have the same validity in terms of employment, postgraduate entrance examinations, public examinations, etc.

According to CCTV Finance’s news on December 13, nowadays, many students from intermediate and senior vocational and technical colleges are often snapped up by major companies before they graduate.