The current struggles within the Chinese labor market could provide a golden opportunity to enhance its overall workforce for years to come, a leading expert on employment said Wednesday.

Migrant workers in Guiyang, capital of Guizhou province, labor on urban construction sites on Tuesday, as the city strives to create 45,000 new jobs for urban employees and rural migrant workers.

With an estimated 20 million migrant workers now without a job, the country has some tough challenges ahead. But it is the perfect time to transfer skills and overhaul the social security system, according to Zheng Gongcheng, a senior lawmaker for the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee.

"The global financial crisis gives China the chance to turn a vast number of farmers into high-quality industrial workers," he told China Daily yesterday, adding the national vocational training program for rural migrant workers may produce around 3 million skilled technicians - a "very valuable labor resource".

A government report showed there were around 130 million farmers in China who migrate far from their hometowns for work. Following the onset of the global financial crisis, many have been forced to return to their families since October after being laid off by struggling businesses, particularly in the export sector.

But millions have already taken up places on vocational training programs subsidized by the government, learning new skills in things like welding, computer technology and handicrafts.

"To develop the country's economy, we need more skilled workers," said Zheng. "In the current economic situation, the country should not leave such vast labor resources unused but instead provide them good job training for the future."