The myth of infinite labor force is shattered. A question mark rises: Why is the curse of "lack of work" aimed at shoe factories? Dongguan, where migrant workers have been flooding, why is the whole industry short of work? Where have all the migrant workers gone? Where will Dongguan's footwear industry, which accounts for more than110 of the world output, go?
Shoe factory "take as much as you want"
"How much, how much." Chen Wu, the doorman of Xing× Shoe Factory, raised his head and spit out six words with a straight face.
"Do you want to be a novice?"
"Yes, both."
From Chengnan Shigu, Chiling, Chen Wu, Santun, Shan Mei and Qiaotou to houjie town along the highway ... until Bai Hao near Humen, the industrial zone is adjacent to each other and there are many shoe factories in the area. Houjie's footwear industry is the most concentrated in Dongguan. The footwear industry in Dongguan, a famous manufacturing city, is quite famous in the world. The annual output of Dongguan shoes is about 65.438 billion pairs, accounting for more than 654.38+0/654.38+00 in the world. Nike, Adidas and other world famous shoes are mostly produced in Dongguan. "There is a traffic jam in Dongguan and the world is out of stock."
"Now we can only open the 1 production line for molding (that is, assemble the upper, sole and other parts into finished shoes). A line needs more than 80 people, but the single molding side is short of 100 people. Other departments are also short of people, and orders may not be able to catch up. " Mr. Huang, the head of a shoe factory in Houjie, told reporters anxiously.
So, Mr. Huang posted a recruitment notice on red paper at the gate. "Shoe factory recruitment is mostly with this recruit. You go to Chen Wu for a walk with Sanchun. Now shoe factories are recruiting people, and recruitment notices can be seen at the door of each factory. "
The reporter visited Chiling, Santun and other industrial zones, and the situation was consistent with what Mr. Huang said.
As long as it is a shoe factory, there will be a recruitment notice at the door, or a board will be posted on it, or in the window.
In Chiling, a shoe factory simply made two plastic signs, one of which read "Long-term recruitment in our factory" and the other was nailed to the wall of the guard room, which read "recruitment consultation office". The handwriting on the two plastic cards has been mottled, which shows that the lack of work is by no means an "emergency", and this enterprise is ready for a protracted war.
The guard room has become a "recruitment consulting office". The guard is not only the responsibility of the security guard, but also the manager of the human resources department of the shoe factory. When the reporter asked the doorman how many people he needed, many doormen's answers were surprisingly consistent: "How many."
Large and small shoe factories lack people to work together.
"Many shoe factories in Houjie lack half of their jobs, and some even close down." Ajun (pseudonym)
I have worked in Dongguan Shoe Factory for more than 3 years, worked as a worker in Jin 10 Shoe Factory, and now I am a middle-level cadre in a shoe factory in Chenwu.
He pointed to a nearby Bakers shoe factory: "It wasn't this factory a month ago. They couldn't recruit people for a long time, couldn't start work, and closed down overnight. After Bai X took over, he still recruited people every day. "
Ajun told reporters that Dongguan shoe factory is generally short of work, but it is just a matter of how much. Small and medium-sized shoe factories are seriously short of work, and big shoe factories are better.
How big is the "big shoe factory" mentioned by A Jun? When the manufacturing industry of Hong Kong and Taiwan moved to the Pearl River Delta, many Hong Kong businessmen and Taiwanese businessmen set up shoe factories in Dongguan. For example, Yuyuan Shoe Company 1988 invested by Taiwan Province Baocheng International Group in Dongguan is the largest shoe-making base in Dongguan at present, with two industrial parks, Gaobu and Huangjiang, which mainly produce Nike and Adidas, with 65,438+10,000 employees. 1990, Taiwan Province Xing 'ang Group invested and set up Xing 'ang shoe factory in Dongguan Chang 'an, which mainly produces brands such as GUESS, LV and Nike, and employs tens of thousands of people. 1996, Hong Kong Huajian Group moved Huabao Shoes to Houjie, Dongguan, mainly producing the famous American brand NINE&WEST, with more than 10000 employees.
These shoe factories have shuttle buses, TV stations, food streets, supermarkets, cinemas and kindergartens. The facilities in the factories are all available, like a "small society". Are they short of work?
"I have been in a state of tension since I started recruiting, and I have endless things to do every day." Teacher Liu, who is in charge of the recruitment of Huabao shoes, was filled with emotion when he mentioned the recruitment, and admitted that it was difficult to recruit people and faced great pressure on the target. "We will build a new factory in June and plan to recruit another 6,000 people, but this is not enough."
In Chiling, Houjie, the reporter happened to see the recruitment notice of Xing 'ang, which impressively printed "Recruitment 1000 Ordinary Workers". There is no other requirement except "18-35 years old, junior high school education or above", and "batch workers are welcome".
The lack of work in Yuyuan, the largest shoe factory in Dongguan, is equally surprising. "Yuyuan Garden is our frequent visitor and comes every week. Their total number of recruits is around 30,000. " Ao Bin, manager of recruitment service department of Zhitong talent market, said that at present, among all industries, the shoemaking industry is the most short of people, with an average shortage of about 1/3.
Mr. Liu of Huabao, Mr. Ao of Zhitong and Mr. A Jun, an old worker of the shoe factory, all said that the shortage of migrant workers has spread to the whole shoe-making industry, and there are not a few gaps, whether it is ordinary workers such as noodles, soles, molding and quality inspection, or senior technicians such as designers, and middle and senior managers. The myth of infinite migrant workers is completely shattered, and the current situation of lack of work in the whole industry is highlighted.
The characteristics of the footwear industry aggravate the lack of work.
Yang Dongru, deputy director of the Municipal Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, pointed out that in recent years, there is indeed a labor shortage in Dongguan. According to incomplete statistics, there is a shortage of about 300 thousand workers at present. "We think this job shortage is a structural shortage. What is lacking are ordinary workers in some industries with relatively high labor intensity and poor working environment, such as shoemaking, garment making and wool spinning. In those industries with good employee welfare, good working environment and a certain scale, the lack of work is not obvious. "
As Yang Dongru said, footwear is a labor-intensive industry, but there are also a few labor-intensive industries in Dongguan. What is the reason why Zhitong people say that "among all industries, the shoe industry is the most lacking in people"?
"Shoe factories have low requirements for workers and naturally have low income. For example, electronics factories now generally require junior high school or high school graduation, while shoe factories generally do not. " Zhitong talent market sources said.
Long Xiaojie, deputy secretary-general of the US-China Garment and Footwear Association, said that it is precisely because of the low treatment of shoemaking workers compared with other industries that the shoemaking industry has become the easiest industry for workers to flow. When they can't do it anymore, they are more likely to jump to other factories to add value or switch to other industries.
In addition, compared with the general labor-intensive industries, shoe factories are more intensive.
"The first-line electronics factory may be 1 person, and the first-line shoe factory is at least close to 100, or even hundreds of people. There are more ordinary workers, and grassroots managers naturally need more, such as team leaders. " The person in charge of a shoe factory in Houjie told the reporter.
In May, when idle equipment was put into use, the demand for employment was greater, and the lack of work in the footwear industry was undeniably exposed. According to Long Xiaojie, March to April is generally the off-season of footwear industry.
In May, the weather turned hot, shoe products were updated quickly, and orders from shoe factories increased, entering the peak season of production. This peak season usually lasts until 10 months.
■ Link
General situation of Dongguan footwear industry
At present, the annual output of shoes in Dongguan is about 65.438+billion pairs, accounting for more than 654.38+0/654.38+00 of the global output. The densest shoe factory in Dongguan is houjie town.
Dongguan's footwear industry is dominated by processing trade, with many small and medium-sized enterprises and lack of independent brands. However, many famous shoe brands in the world, such as Nike and Adidas, are mostly produced in Dongguan, and Yuyuan, Huabao and Xing 'ang are all large shoe-making enterprises in Dongguan. Dongguan shoe enterprises are not short of technology, but in terms of independent brand building, they are far behind the Yangtze River Delta cities such as Wenzhou.
At present, due to various factors such as international trade friction and lack of work in Dongguan, many shoe factories have moved to the mainland or Southeast Asia. The elimination tournament of Dongguan footwear industry is in progress.
Self-examination/introspection
Why is Dongguan Shoe Factory short of work?
Workers work overtime until the evening 1 1, or their freedom is restricted, and the factory gate becomes the "Berlin Wall". Digging away a cadre and taking away a group of his men has become a unique recruitment model for shoe factories.
Workers with poor treatment "run away"
In the strong sunshine, a young man wandered alone in front of the shoe factory in Houjie. Short crew cut, white shirt stuck into black pants, and a miserable face. The young man met by the reporter is Ajian, a native of Guizhou. He worked in Guangzhou for several years and moved to Dongguan to find another job.
"I ran for a few days, and there were jobs everywhere, but the requirements were too harsh." A Jian said. The reporter accompanied Ajian to several shoe factories on the grounds of looking for a job together. He couldn't find a satisfactory job until he said goodbye. Journalists are even more "discriminated". The doorman of a shoe factory refused: "No." Then stop talking.
Why not? A Jun, an old worker, said with a smile, "You really can't. Dongguan shoe factory generally works overtime until late, and there is not much rest time in a day. There are not a few days off all year round, and there are three days off on May Day, which is unprecedented. "
The doorman of Houjie Xing× Shoes Factory also publicly told reporters that Xing× Shoes Factory usually has to work overtime until 1 1 p.m., and there are not many days off in one year. The reporter also learned that some shoe factories don't even turn on air conditioning in midsummer. There are also many phenomena that restrict workers' freedom, and the factory gate has become the "Berlin Wall".
How much can you earn in such a hard month? "Generally, it is 700 to 900 yuan, and it takes a little more than 1000 yuan to work hard." A Jun envies big factories. "Big factories have high wages and good welfare."
How much does the big factory pay? Mr. Liu, who is responsible for the recruitment of Huabao Shoes, told the reporter that the salary difference of Dongguan Shoes Factory is not big, and the formal general worker of Huabao is generally around 1000 yuan. Yuyuan Garden Quotation 1200 yuan or so.
If A Jian is a representative of migrant workers in the 1990s, then A Hong from Hunan is a new migrant worker in the 20th century. Although her hair was a little messy, she wore earrings and bought a beautiful mobile phone. "My sister 10 years ago worked in Dongguan shoe factory, and her salary was close to 1000 yuan, but it hasn't risen much yet. I hope to get more pay and more rest time. Every girl wants to dress herself up and have time to go shopping. " A Hong said that many sisters in their factory couldn't stand the working environment and were forced to leave their jobs.
"I personally encourage them to go." Feng Xiaoyun, a professor at the School of Economics of Jinan University, speaks amazingly. Professor Feng told reporters that she did research in Dongguan last year and found that the working and living environment of Dongguan shoe factory was very bad. "They can't stand it any longer. It's only a matter of time before they leave. This also shows that the consciousness of workers is gradually awakening, which should be said to be a good phenomenon. "
Dig each other into a fixed pattern
Where was the shoemaker forced to go? "Shoemakers are usually mobile in this industry. There is a strange phenomenon in this industry: a group of people leave as soon as they leave. One of our vice presidents went to John Wan and took dozens of people with him. A captain took all his people to Shenzhen. We recruited a new team leader two days ago, and he brought twenty or thirty people. " The person in charge of a shoe factory in Houjie said.
"Once every emperor is a courtier." A jun described it like this.
He attributed it to the backwardness of management mode. "Shoe factory has no standardized management mode. Supposedly, no matter who leaves a company, the management mode should be the same. However, the management of the shoe factory is basically decided by the leaders at the next higher level, and the management mode has also changed. "
For example, Mr. A said that the original quality inspection (responsible for quality inspection) and on-site (assembly line processing) in his factory were separated. The leader of quality inspection jumped off the boat, and the on-site leader immediately took over the quality inspection.
"If the quality inspection is under the control of the construction site, where shall we supervise the construction site?" In the case of uncertain management mode, what everyone can trust is interpersonal relationship. Who have you been with for a long time? Everyone cooperates with each other. If you want to go, you can go together.
In fact, this kind of follow-up is not only because of the feelings formed at work. "The wages and benefits of the shoe factory are basically decided by their supervisors, so everyone has recognized him for a long time." Manager ao of Zhitong talent market analyzes the interest relationship behind it for reporters.
As a result, the "characteristic" mode of shoe factory recruitment also came into being. Digging a cadre and bringing a group of subordinates has become the most effective recruitment method for shoe factories. "Generally, there is a reward of 50- 100 yuan for pulling a person over." Ah Jun said.
This "feature" has spread to large enterprises. Mr. Liu of Huabao Shoes said that it is difficult to recruit people in the labor market and it is also very unstable. Therefore, they mainly introduce insiders, parents bring their children and boyfriends bring their girlfriends. Although there is no monetary reward, the company will give some administrative rewards.
Where have all the migrant workers gone?
The migration of a big shoe factory is quietly going inland. Earlier, a shoe factory in Dongguan closed down, and the Wenzhou boss immediately drove over and the whole car pulled people over. And many shoe factories in Dongguan still don't know.
Shoe factories moved inland with migrant workers.
Where are the migrant workers who once swarmed like a flood?
"Now a lot of people don't want to come out. I know some migrant workers in Jiangxi, Hunan. Many people go home to grow some cash crops and do some small business, which can also meet the needs of life. If they want to work, they will also choose a city close to home. " Zhitong talent market manager said.
A jun also wants to go home. He feels that life at home is relatively calm. "A few days ago, our two female colleagues were robbed of their mobile phones right next to the factory. There are too many such things. "
Indeed, Dongguan's economy has developed rapidly in recent years, but the wage increase of workers is very small and the working conditions have not improved much. Coupled with social security and other issues, Dongguan has hurt the hearts of many migrant workers.
But the mainland is developing against the clock. The state's support for "agriculture, countryside and farmers" has basically reduced the burden on farmers. Many migrant workers who came to Dongguan with entrepreneurial dreams came back with broken dreams.
"Especially at present, with the nationwide construction of new countryside, migrant workers have some savings in Dongguan or find new jobs in their hometown. It is human nature that they refuse to come back." Feng Xiaoyun, an economics professor at Jinan University, said.
A big shoe factory migration is quietly going on, and the destination is Hunan, Jiangxi and other places with the most abundant resources of migrant workers. According to the relevant personage of Houjie Branch of Taiwanese Business Association, the labor shortage in Dongguan has overwhelmed many enterprises, so shoe factories have moved to Hunan and Jiangxi. Yang Dongru, deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, said that moving the shoe factory to an area where the labor force is relatively cheap and abundant can ensure the survival of enterprises and maintain the cost advantage.
In this great migration, Yuyuan Garden and Huabao became deep-water bombs. They have all built huge industrial parks in Jiangxi, and they are still recruiting.
The Yangtze River Delta has scared the talent market.
If the mainland cities only undertake the industrial transfer of Dongguan and make room for the industrial upgrading of Dongguan, then another rising opponent should not be underestimated. This is the Yangtze River Delta.
"The Yangtze River Delta is developing rapidly, and the only thing they lack is people. Dongguan has developed for a long time and trained many suitable people, so they tried their best to come and dig. For example, a vice president, Dongguan offers 65,438+10,000 yuan, and they are willing to open 300,000 yuan, but the additional condition is: pull all the people on your side. " Yan Bin, manager of recruitment service department of Zhitong talent market, said.
Ao Bin said that for a long time, Dongguan bosses thought that people were good at tricks and paid little attention to them. Now the Yangtze River Delta has become a strong rival. The wages in the Yangtze River Delta are similar to those in the Pearl River Delta, but the welfare benefits are much better than those in the Pearl River Delta. For example, many shoe factories in Dongguan do not even provide social security for employees, which hardly exists in the Yangtze River Delta. "Now people are really scarce, and Zhitong has an obligation to retain talents for Dongguan. In fact, we all try to avoid customers from the Yangtze River Delta coming here to recruit. As long as it is from the Yangtze River Delta, we generally don't talk to him. "
Long Xiaojie, deputy secretary-general of the US-China Clothing and Footwear Association, said that the awareness of bosses in the Yangtze River Delta is generally high. This is not only reflected in the treatment of employees, but also in the construction of independent brands. For example, there are well-known shoe brands such as Aokang in Wenzhou, and there are more independent brand-name shoes than Dongguan. Dongguan enterprises have little profit in processing trade, while enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta can have more profit space to make their own brands and more room to improve the treatment of employees.
Long Xiaojie also used a small detail to illustrate the difference in consciousness between the bosses of the two places. "Earlier, a shoe factory in Dongguan closed down, and the Wenzhou boss immediately drove over to pull people over. Many shoe factories in Dongguan still don't know. "
■ Related investigation
The living conditions of workers in the Pearl River Delta are worse than those in the Yangtze River Delta.
A research group of Sun Yat-sen University recently released a comparative study report on migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta and the Yangtze River Delta, and concluded that the living conditions of migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta are not as good as those in the Yangtze River Delta. The list of comparison items is as follows:
Comparative project of Yangtze River Delta and Pearl River Delta
It took 2/kloc-0 and 29.7 days to find my first job.
The average cost of finding a job is 353 yuan, 370 yuan.
The average working hours are 9.0 1 hour and 9.86 hours.
The average monthly salary in the Yangtze River Delta is 265.66 yuan higher than that in the Pearl River Delta.
The hourly overtime pay in the Yangtze River Delta is higher than that in the Pearl River Delta 1.96 yuan.
Limited meal time 52.90%5 1.40%
Unable to process due to the registered permanent residence 19.90%3 1.30%.
Feeling discriminated against 10.40% 18.90%
arouse
Lack of work is a good thing? Bad things?
Improve the treatment and let the workers return to Dongguan.
The shortage of migrant workers has caused bouts of severe pain. A large number of shoe factories were underemployed, so some small and medium-sized shoe factories closed down and big shoe factories moved out. How to get migrant workers back to Dongguan?
Yang Dongru, deputy director of the Municipal Bureau of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, pointed out that to solve the shortage of migrant workers in Dongguan, we must directly improve the employment environment of enterprises, guide enterprises to improve their salaries and benefits, and enhance the attractiveness of Dongguan enterprises to migrant workers. On the other hand, it is necessary to combine the goal of building a "harmonious Dongguan" to enhance the social and cultural environment and affinity of Dongguan.
Besides the urban environment, what workers expect most is the improvement of treatment. For example, the relevant person in charge of the Houjie Branch of the Taiwan Business Association said: "If the shoe factory does not improve the treatment of workers from the aspects of food, clothing, housing and transportation, it is unlikely to recruit many people at one time."
Does the boss in Dongguan know about this? Mr. Liu of Huabao Shoes said that all shoe factories in Dongguan are improving their working conditions and treatment. "Huabao has cinemas, couples rooms, Hunan restaurants, Sichuan restaurants, kindergartens and so on. But it is still not attractive to workers. Now we can only fight for corporate culture. "
However, one question seems to be neglected: How much room is there for Dongguan shoe factory to improve its treatment by earning cheap processing fees for a long time? It is understood that the average net profit of the shoe industry in Dongguan is around 5%-8%. With the pressure of RMB appreciation and the high anti-dumping duties imposed by the European Union on China shoes, some people estimate that the profits of the relevant shoe factories will be completely swallowed up, making it difficult to protect themselves, let alone improve the treatment of workers. "Re-competition in the treatment of workers will make many enterprises overwhelmed." A related person from Houjie Branch of Taiwan Business Association said that the migration of shoe enterprises to the mainland is a side example.
Lack of work drove away the "chicken rib" industry.
"A large number of shoe factories are short of work, which is good for the government and enterprises." Professor Feng of Jinan University once again made a surprising speech. She suggested that the Dongguan government encourage people to climb higher.
Dongguan is a typical exogenous economy with many labor-intensive enterprises. "A large number of shoe factories are short of workers, forcing the government and enterprises to think: how can they develop for a long time without industrial upgrading and economic transformation?"
In fact, the lack of work not only cleaned some weak enterprises, but also gradually forced the "chicken ribs" industry to migrate. Signs that the footwear industry is shifting to the mainland are gradually obvious. After such industrial upgrading, Dongguan's urban economic orientation is expected to change quietly.
Some signs have begun to appear. As Yang Dongru, deputy director of the Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation Bureau, said, the shoe factories in Hong Kong and Taiwan have moved out less. Many of them did not uproot their bases in Dongguan, but set up branches there to carry out primary processing or produce low value-added shoes. Dongguan factory deeply processed shoes and produced high value-added and high-tech footwear products. In this way, the shoemaking industry in Dongguan has been quietly upgraded.
In the long run, another trend may be expected: under the general trend of lack of work, Dongguan may develop into a trade distribution center by virtue of its geographical location. Labor-intensive industries will move inland, while Dongguan will leave some office space for enterprises and become a window city for foreign trade.