China’s number of working people has fallen by more than 41 million in the past three years, reflecting both the coronavirus pandemic’s toll on the economy and a decline in the working age population.

Some 733.5 million Chinese people were employed in 2022, according to the country’s statistics bureau. That’s down from 774.7 million in 2019. The decline in employment over that period is almost equal to Germany’s entire workforce, which was about 44 million in 2021, according to the World Bank.

(via Instapundit)

[The crisis may arrive sooner than predicted. That loss not only reflects pandemic losses and retirements, but also the demographic/fertility consequences of Beijing’s long-imposed “one child” policies, which included forced abortions and criminal and financial punishments for violations. Thanks to cultural norms regarding family obligations, China’s families overwhelmingly chose to have boys rather than girls, which has amplified the fertility issues. We knew that the dysfunction created by these policies would have a radical effect on China’s workforce, but it’s arriving more quickly — and poses an even bigger threat to China’s economic power. — Ed]