Eastern Province Eases Upper Age Limit for Construction Workers Amid Labor Shortage

A provincial government in East China is relaxing the upper age limit of construction workers to solve labor shortage issues at construction sites as the country contends with an aging society and graying blue-collar workforce.

China’s national retirement age is 60 for men and as early as 50 for women. Jiangsu province is allowing laborers who are above that ceiling to continue working on construction sites. It will cap the number of people who are up to five years over the age for men and 10 for women at 10% of a project’s workforce, according to a notice released by the province’s Department of Housing and Urban-Rural Development on May 25.