春節(jié)剛過(guò)，“民工荒”就成為各方熱議的焦點(diǎn)，甚至還將成為今年兩會(huì)（NPC & CPPCC Sessions 2010）的熱點(diǎn)。它被全國(guó)乃至全球媒體集體傳播，“珠三角”（Pearl River Delta）加工制造業(yè)200多萬(wàn)的民工缺口，僅“制造之城”東莞的工人缺口就高達(dá)30%；人口大省四川的招工難，對(duì)災(zāi)后重建和經(jīng)濟(jì)復(fù)蘇（economic recovery）關(guān)鍵時(shí)期的投資建設(shè)造成一定影響……

A recruiter from a clothing factory in Ruibao town, Guangzhou, holds up a poster with a list of job vacancies on February 24, 2010.

請(qǐng)看中國(guó)網(wǎng)的報(bào)道：

Severe labor shortages in the manufacturing powerhouses of eastern China are forcing managements to boost wages and other incentives to attract and retain staff.
…

It is not just Dongguan. All across the Pearl River Delta manufacturing zone, employers are facing the same problem. Some factories began work a week earlier than usual after Chinese New Year in order to fulfill orders with a reduced workforce. Farther afield, the Yangtze River Delta and Shandong Province are experiencing the same problems. One Shandong factory had to turn away orders because of the labor shortage.

—— Excerpt from Labor shortages driving up wages   

China is still facing serious challenges in employment, though labor shortage has been found in booming cities in China's coastal areas recently, said Premier Wen Jiabao on Saturday during an online chat with netizens.

Wen attributed the labor shortage in coastal areas to three possible factors. "First, it may be the result of economic recovery, which enables the enterprises to improve production, get more orders and thus need more workers," he said.

"Secondly, it may be that the enterprises are looking for workers for certain professions while the unemployed are looking for other jobs," he said. "Some enterprises need skilled workers, which the society is widely short of."

"The labor shortage is also a result of the growing awareness among the workers of their own rights and interests," Wen said, adding workers would weigh different choices for better salaries.

—— Excerpt from China still faces serious employment pressure, says Premier Wen

文中的labor shortage就是指“勞動(dòng)力短缺”。深圳表示，今年將上調(diào)最低工資（minimum wage），以吸引勞工。這與去年初的勞動(dòng)力過(guò)剩（labor surplus/redundance）局面形成了鮮明的對(duì)比。

與此同時(shí)，大量農(nóng)民工（migrant workers）也于節(jié)后涌入沿海地區(qū)的人才市場(chǎng)（job fair）尋找用工機(jī)會(huì)，以至于一些勞務(wù)輸出大省出現(xiàn)了難覓農(nóng)村剩余勞動(dòng)力（surplus rural workers）的情況，同時(shí)引發(fā)的留守兒童（left-behind children）等問(wèn)題也值得社會(huì)關(guān)注。

不過(guò)，labor shortage也促使一些過(guò)于依賴勞動(dòng)密集型產(chǎn)業(yè)（labor intensive industry）的公司加快產(chǎn)業(yè)結(jié)構(gòu)升級(jí)換代，發(fā)展知識(shí)密集型（knowledge intensive）、技術(shù)密集型（technology-intensive）等新興產(chǎn)業(yè)。