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As the glittering skyline in Shanghai seemingly attests, China has
quickly transformed itself from a place of stark poverty into a
modern, urban, technologically savvy economic powerhouse. But as
Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell show in Invisible China, the truth
is much more complicated and might be a serious cause for concern.
China's growth has relied heavily on unskilled labor. Most of the
workers who have fueled the country's rise come from rural villages
and have never been to high school. While this national growth
strategy has been effective for three decades, the unskilled wage
rate is finally rising, inducing companies inside China to automate
at an unprecedented rate and triggering an exodus of companies
seeking cheaper labor in other countries. Ten years ago, almost
every product for sale in an American Walmart was made in China.
Today, that is no longer the case. With the changing demand for
labor, China seems to have no good back-up plan. For all of its
investment in physical infrastructure, for decades China failed to
invest enough in its people. Recent progress may come too late.
Drawing on extensive surveys on the ground in China, Rozelle and
Hell reveal that while China may be the second-largest economy in
the world, its labor force has one of the lowest levels of
education of any comparable country. Over half of China's
population--as well as a vast majority of its children--are from
rural areas. Their low levels of basic education may leave many
unable to find work in the formal workplace as China's economy
changes and manufacturing jobs move elsewhere. In Invisible China,
Rozelle and Hell speak not only to an urgent humanitarian concern
but also a potential economic crisis that could upend economies and
foreign relations around the globe. If too many are left
structurally unemployable, the implications both inside and outside
of China could be serious. Understanding the situation in China
today is essential if we are to avoid a potential crisis of
international proportions. This book is an urgent and timely call
to action that should be read by economists, policymakers, the
business community, and general readers alike.
As the glittering skyline in Shanghai seemingly attests, China has
quickly transformed itself from a place of stark poverty into a
modern, urban, technologically savvy economic powerhouse. But as
Scott Rozelle and Natalie Hell show in Invisible China, the truth
is much more complicated and might be a serious cause for concern.
China's growth has relied heavily on unskilled labor. Most of the
workers who have fueled the country's rise come from rural villages
and have never been to high school. While this national growth
strategy has been effective for three decades, the unskilled wage
rate is finally rising, inducing companies inside China to automate
at an unprecedented rate and triggering an exodus of companies
seeking cheaper labor in other countries. Ten years ago, almost
every product for sale in an American Walmart was made in China.
Today, that is no longer the case. With the changing demand for
labor, China seems to have no good back-up plan. For all of its
investment in physical infrastructure, for decades China failed to
invest enough in its people. Recent progress may come too late.
Drawing on extensive surveys on the ground in China, Rozelle and
Hell reveal that while China may be the second-largest economy in
the world, its labor force has one of the lowest levels of
education of any comparable country. Over half of China's
population-as well as a vast majority of its children-are from
rural areas. Their low levels of basic education may leave many
unable to find work in the formal workplace as China's economy
changes and manufacturing jobs move elsewhere. In Invisible China,
Rozelle and Hell speak not only to an urgent humanitarian concern
but also a potential economic crisis that could upend economies and
foreign relations around the globe. If too many are left
structurally unemployable, the implications both inside and outside
of China could be serious. Understanding the situation in China
today is essential if we are to avoid a potential crisis of
international proportions. This book is an urgent and timely call
to action that should be read by economists, policymakers, the
business community, and general readers alike.
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