Catherwood LibraryILR School

Following a general slowdown in the nation's economy as well as increasing competition from younger laborers, aging Chinese workers are beginning to see a widespread struggle to find employment opportunities. For decades, these workers have contributed to China's transformation into an economic powerhouse through their labor in sweatshops and construction, but their earnings from those years were spent supporting their children, and they could not truly begin to save money for themselves until they hit their mid-50s. As a result, many of these workers cannot hope to retire.