Job hunters look at posts on a board during a local career fair in Pingliang, Northwest China’s Gansu Province on June 23, 2019. Photo: VCG

As the world's largest labor market, China could experience a declining labor force as the estimated number in 2035 might fall to 800 million, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Thursday. 

In an article published in the recent issue of the semimonthly Qiushi Journal, the ministry said the domestic job market still faces mounting challenges. The labor force, which has been shrinking since 2012, could become more palpable this year. 

By the end of 2018, the total labor force in China reached nearly 900 million and is expected to lose 100 million by 2035, the article stated.

In recent years, the annual new labor force in urban areas reached roughly 15 million. The number is expected to hit 25 million when considering those who are registered as unemployed.

The report took into account labor force members who are 16 to 59 years of age. 

China's job market faces dilemmas in economic restructuring and industrial upgrades, the authority said. On one side, businesses have experienced greater difficulty in hiring new employees, and there has been a lack of frontline workers. On the other side, young graduates have faced challenges in finding new jobs. Such problems have mainly been the results of supply and demand imbalances and divergences in regional economic development. 

The ministry urged local governments and related authorities to make the job market a priority, and work targets should prioritize employment rates. Greater importance should be given to graduate students entering the workforce, helping the unemployed secure jobs, and ensure livelihoods as the bottom-line of their efforts. 

A stable job market is considered a fundamental principle in ensuring social stability and also a major factor in driving China's economic growth, according to media reports.