In recent years, the phenomenon of "labor shortages in enterprises" has frequently appeared in different rosewood furniture production bases. How to ease the "labor shortage", resist malicious competition from peers, and establish an effective industry self-discipline mechanism has become a pressing task for the government and industry associations.
Regarding enterprise recruitment issues, since the rosewood furniture industry is not yet fully developed in various aspects, it's common for rosewood furniture manufacturing enterprises to poach each other’s workers and use improper means to recruit workers, such as posting recruitment advertisements at the gates of competing companies or encouraging their employees to poach workers from rival firms. These practices may solve the problem of insufficient labor in the short term, but over time, they will inevitably lead to wage inflation, which ultimately harms the enterprises. Therefore, the association needs to take the lead by formulating relatively reasonable reference wages through discussions among member units and necessary research, thereby reducing malicious competitive behaviors between peers or members. This way, enterprises will increasingly turn towards improving their management to attract workers in the recruitment competition rather than resorting to other improper means for disorderly competition.
Chen Xinfeng, president of the Zhongshan Rosewood Branch of the Dongyang Chamber of Commerce in Guangdong, said: "If peers can strictly adhere to self-discipline under the leadership of the industry association, negotiate and set a reasonable labor price, jointly resist workers who frequently jump ship, and gradually create a positive recruitment environment, then workers will no longer move blindly." Once these norms are implemented by the association, for those workers who often maliciously switch jobs, losing work in one local company might mean they can no longer find relevant work locally.
However, while the association formulates labor rules, it will inevitably affect the interests of some large rosewood furniture enterprises. Some entrepreneurs say: "I am an entrepreneur, not a philanthropist," implying that making a profit is the ultimate goal. However, at this stage, the development of the rosewood industry requires more "philanthropists" to step forward, maintaining consistent steps with the development of many rosewood furniture enterprises on a macro level, creating a healthy competitive environment, and expanding the market for rosewood furniture.
Moreover, rosewood furniture industry associations need to improve the supervision system for the labor market and strengthen supervisory mechanisms. On recruitment issues, regional associations can agree through discussion and formulate relevant systems to standardize the healthy development of the industry. Mr. Li Chungen, secretary-general of the Guangxi Rosewood Furniture Association, told reporters that how to effectively play the role of the association is still a topic to be explored. However, in response to current recruitment problems faced by enterprises, the association can start from small issues, formulate some self-discipline regulations within the industry, and solve practical problems currently faced by enterprises. For example, member enterprises of the association (chamber of commerce) must not hire employees dismissed due to disciplinary violations from other member units; they must not use improper means such as paying referral fees or offering obviously unreasonable wages to recruit workers from other member units, etc. Through these measures, the industry's development can be standardized. In this way, the role of the association will gradually become evident and play an increasingly important role in coordinating enterprise development.
Nobel laureate in economics Douglas North pointed out: "When an element becomes scarce, it is also the best time to define rights regarding that element." The appearance of the "labor shortage" phenomenon in the rosewood furniture industry forces governments and rosewood furniture associations in various regions to establish effective industry self-discipline mechanisms, truly placing the construction of harmonious labor-capital relations on the agenda, and revitalizing the development of the rosewood furniture industry. (Source: China Classical Furniture Network, reporter nana)