The Leading Group for Deepening Overall Reform has recently approved a document that calls for the concerted efforts of the government, enterprises and society to cultivate more highly skilled workers, which are a valuable resource for China's innovation-driven development strategy.

According to Lu Aihong, a Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security official, of the overall working population of 776 million, 165 million skilled workers. However, there are only 47 million highly skilled workers, accounting for 6 percent of the total working population.

The shortage of skilled workers has much to do with the low wages they receive and their poor social status. The document calls for these to be raised so that more people are willing to become highly skilled workers.

Lu said that in the next stage the ministry will make efforts to promote implementation of the document, further inspire the spirit of craftsmanship and create a social environment in which skills are respected, in order to increase skilled workers' sense of gain.