"China Labour Bulletin Strike Map data analysis: 2023 year in review for workers' rights" 31 January 2024

In 2023, China Labour Bulletin's Strike Map collected 1,794 incidents, more than double that of the 2022 total... Among workers’ strikes and protests in 2023, those in the manufacturing industry increased tenfold year-on-year, reaching 438 incidents (24%). The construction industry again accounted for the largest proportion of incidents, with 945 (53%).

The trend of supply chains moving to China’s inland areas and Southeast Asia for lower-cost production is not new, but 2023 was characterised by a faster pace of capital withdrawal...Workers were often not informed of the company’s plans, but workers picked up on signs and signals like moving equipment out of the factory or urging voluntary resignation. And when companies defaulted on wages or social security benefits, workers were prepared to go on strike...

Apparel manufacturers were also affected by changing supply chains. Shrinking orders from international brands and relocation to cut costs were annual trends...Upstream manufacturers in China have borne the brunt of lost orders, and some factories accelerated their decisions to relocate or shut down...

At the same time that capital is withdrawing from China’s electronics and apparel manufacturing sectors, it is pouring into industries such as electric vehicles and renewable energy. The restructuring of capital has likewise shuffled workers...The expansion of the new energy vehicle industry has caused long-time employees to face technological unemployment...

...the slump in the construction industry only continues to worsen, and workers across the country have been protesting over owed wages... A total of 945 cases of wage demands were recorded among migrant workers in the construction industry last year, more than double the number in 2022...Country Garden, defaulted on its debt last year, had a total of 33 wage protests in the CLB Strike Map...

The contraction of the real estate industry has further reduced job opportunities for migrant workers, which especially affects older migrants. The companies they worked for in the past did not pay social security, and now other employers like factories are unwilling to hire those over 50...