Labor shortage

Figures from the human resources ministry show that China currently has over 200 million skilled workers, 60 million of whom are highly skilled. However, the nation is still grappling with a shortage of such laborers, especially in rural areas, due to the group's lower salaries and social status.

Zhang Lifang, director of the China (Guangzhou) Research Center of WorldSkills Competition, said that people skilled in smart farming, the processing and sales of produce, farm machinery maintenance and rural area management are urgently needed to drive rural vitalization. Such workers will boost the development and application of high technology, including big data, artificial intelligence and blockchain technology, in the agriculture industry.

"For example, sowing and harvesting were once laborious tasks, but now they are mechanized. So talent who are skilled in electrical engineering and vehicle or farm machinery operations and maintenance are needed. Also, skilled workers in education and healthcare are important in the vitalization of rural areas because of people's growing demand for better lives," she said.

The nation has taken active measures to produce more skilled workers and encourage them to realize their ambitions in rural areas, which are seen as places with prospects and great potential that have yet to be untapped.