44.6 million: Projected decline in China's population of 15- to 24-year-olds this decade.

　　4,460萬：這是21世紀(jì)第二個十年中國15至24歲人口預(yù)計將減少的數(shù)量。

　　China's era as the world's go-to provider of inexpensive labor may be drawing to a close. Workers are demanding higher wages and low-end manufacturers in coastal areas have in recent years complained of labor shortages.

　　中國作為全球廉價勞動力供應(yīng)者的時代可能已接近尾聲?，F(xiàn)在，中國工人要求更高的工資，沿海地區(qū)的低端制造商近年來則在抱怨勞動力短缺的問題。

　　Rising affluence and increased opportunities in China's interior certainly have something to do with that, but so does a profound demographic shift. Largely because of the one-child policy introduced in the late 1970s, the number of children per woman fell to 1.77 in 2000 from 3.78 in 1975, according to the World Bank.

　　發(fā)生上述現(xiàn)象肯定和中國國內(nèi)不斷提高的富裕程度及更多的機會有關(guān)，但人口結(jié)構(gòu)的深刻轉(zhuǎn)變也功不可沒。據(jù)世界銀行（World Bank）數(shù)據(jù)，在中國，每名婦女生育的子女?dāng)?shù)量從1975年的3.78個下降到2000年的1.77個，這主要是因為上世紀(jì)70年代末推行的獨生子女政策。

　　Making the problem more acute, many rural parents are less willing to see their children leave home to work in the cities because they want to ensure somebody will be there to take care of them in their old age.

　　令勞動力短缺問題更加嚴(yán)重的是，許多農(nóng)村家長都不太愿意子女離家到城市工作，因為他們要確保年老之后有人在家中照顧他們。

　　The United Nations projects the male population aged 15-24 will fall 18.5% between 2010 and 2020, but that the female population in that age group will fall a sharper 23.9% -- a result researchers tie to the confluence of a preference for boys, the one-child policy and the increased availability of ultrasound equipment. That's made the lack of new job entrants more acute for manufacturers that tend to mainly employ women, such as apparel makers.

　　聯(lián)合國預(yù)測，15-24歲年齡段的男性人口數(shù)量在2010年至2020年之間將減少18.5%，同年齡段的女性人口數(shù)量將減少更多，達(dá)到23.9%。研究人員認(rèn)為，人們更想要兒子，獨生子女政策以及超聲波設(shè)備日益普及等因素一起導(dǎo)致了前述現(xiàn)象。這令主要雇傭婦女的制衣廠等制造業(yè)缺少新工人的現(xiàn)象更為嚴(yán)重。

　　Economists note that young Chinese are healthier and more educated, and thus more productive, and that many state-owned enterprises have far more workers than they need. Still, a 21% decline in the age group is a major shift.

　　經(jīng)濟學(xué)家注意到，中國的年輕一代更加健康，受教育程度更高，因此生產(chǎn)力也更高。經(jīng)濟學(xué)家也發(fā)現(xiàn)許多國有企業(yè)實際雇工量遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超出它們的需求。盡管如此，上述年齡段人口數(shù)量下滑21%仍是一個重大轉(zhuǎn)變。

　　In the not-too-distant future, young Chinese workers will also have a lot more older people to support. The U.N. projects that those 65 and older will make up 20% of China's population by 2035 -- about the same as is projected for the U.S. -- up from 8.2% in 2010.

　　在不太遙遠(yuǎn)的將來，年輕的中國工人也將贍養(yǎng)更多的老人。聯(lián)合國預(yù)測，到2035年，65歲及以上的老人在中國人口中的占比將從2010年的8.2%上升到20%（這一比例和聯(lián)合國對美國的預(yù)測類似）。