A question nobody thought we'd be asking

Business Week and the Economist each published articles this week asking, "Is China Running Out Of Workers?" Just a few short years ago analysts were talking about China's "endless supply" of low-cost unskilled labor reserves. With 50 percent of the population still residing in the countryside (many without steady employment), we've long believed that the demand could never outpace this labor supply. Well, it turns out that despite higher pay, the poor working conditions at many of the country's manufacturers just aren't enough to lure people off the land. The result will certainly be higher prices for Chinese goods at some point down the road...