Surplus labour and Lewis turning points in China

Surplus Labour and Lewis Turning Points in China

It has been widely recognized that China has had a large pool of surplus labour. However, despite its significant implications for wage levels and the Chinese economy, the current debates yield conflicting results as to whether the Lewis turning point has been reached. This paper clarifies a theoretical issue about the mechanisms of surplus labour absorption, subsequently indentifies two Lewis ...

China: surplus labour and migration.

Surplus labor force and migration trends in China are examined, with emphasis on the impact of underemployment in rural areas. "Government policy encourages surplus labourers to transfer out of crop farming into agricultural sidelines or non-agricultural work. Peasants are urged to stay where they are, shifting jobs without shifting location; however, many rural areas are poorly endowed for pr...

The Puzzle of Migrant Labour Shortage and Rural Labour Surplus in China

The paper examines the contentious issue of the extent of surplus labour that remains in China. China was an extreme example of a surplus labour economy, but the rapid economic growth during the period of economic reform requires a reassessment of whether the second stage of the Lewis model has been reached or is imminent. The literature is inconclusive. On the one hand, there are reports of mi...

A Theory of Surplus Labour

Externalities, Earnings and Surplus Labour in Jamaica: An Update

This paper justifies and specifies testable hypotheses about the relationship between the individual wage and the average level of subsistence productivity in the Jamaican labour market, as well as the degree of competitiveness. First, a framework is derived as a mathematical-economic model that links the marginal product of labour to the scale of unemployment or subsistence employment through ...