Shanghai mobilises seniors to work longer amid China’s demographic crisis

Qiu has been scouring Shanghai’s labour agencies for a job for her 58-year-old father – a former mechanic from neighbouring Jiangsu province caught in a frustrating limbo.

While he is still years away from the official retirement age for rural migrants, his struggle to find work underscores a paradox in China’s financial hub: even as the city desperately needs more workers to counter a shrinking population, ageing jobseekers are being met with high fees and physical exhaustion.

His search coincides with Shanghai’s sweeping new government initiative to mobilise the elderly and stave off a worsening demographic crisis.

“In the countryside, retirement only starts at 60, so he’s still looking for work,” she said. “Right now, he’s going to labour agencies to register and is waiting for any suitable jobs to come up.”

But the process has proved frustrating. “Some agencies charge high upfront fees – about 1,200 yuan (US$175) – before they even introduce any work, which doesn’t feel very reliable,” Qiu said. “And even then, it’s hard to find anything suitable.”

Most of the jobs on offer involve long hours and physically demanding labour, she added. Qiu said her father began looking for work partly because he has more free time now that his grandchildren are older, but also because social protections in rural areas remain limited, prompting him to save for his own future.