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

　　4,460万：这是21世纪第二个十年中国15至24岁人口预计将减少的数量。

　　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.

　　中国作为全球廉价劳动力供应者的时代可能已接近尾声。现在，中国工人要求更高的工资，沿海地区的低端制造商近年来则在抱怨劳动力短缺的问题。

　　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.

　　发生上述现象肯定和中国国内不断提高的富裕程度及更多的机会有关，但人口结构的深刻转变也功不可没。据世界银行（World Bank）数据，在中国，每名妇女生育的子女数量从1975年的3.78个下降到2000年的1.77个，这主要是因为上世纪70年代末推行的独生子女政策。

　　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.

　　令劳动力短缺问题更加严重的是，许多农村家长都不太愿意子女离家到城市工作，因为他们要确保年老之后有人在家中照顾他们。

　　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.

　　联合国预测，15-24岁年龄段的男性人口数量在2010年至2020年之间将减少18.5%，同年龄段的女性人口数量将减少更多，达到23.9%。研究人员认为，人们更想要儿子，独生子女政策以及超声波设备日益普及等因素一起导致了前述现象。这令主要雇佣妇女的制衣厂等制造业缺少新工人的现象更为严重。

　　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.

　　经济学家注意到，中国的年轻一代更加健康，受教育程度更高，因此生产力也更高。经济学家也发现许多国有企业实际雇工量远远超出它们的需求。尽管如此，上述年龄段人口数量下滑21%仍是一个重大转变。

　　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.

　　在不太遥远的将来，年轻的中国工人也将赡养更多的老人。联合国预测，到2035年，65岁及以上的老人在中国人口中的占比将从2010年的8.2%上升到20%（这一比例和联合国对美国的预测类似）。