Chinese City Gives Workers Paid Leave to Care for Aging Parents

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Yangzhou has become the latest city to pass new regulations to address the social pressures created by China’s rapid population aging. A city in eastern China’s Jiangsu province has passed new regulations granting workers extra paid leave to care for elderly parents, the latest in a series of moves by local governments to adapt to the pressures of rapid population aging. Yangzhou introduced the new policy as part of a wider package of measures announced on Oct. 12, which is being described as the country’s first local regulation specifically dedicated to improving the lives of the elderly. Population aging is a particularly pressing issue in Yangzhou. The city of 4.5 million has one of the highest proportions of elderly residents in the country, with 28.6% of its population aged 60 or over, according to local officials. But the issue is far from unique to Yangzhou. The number of over-60s in China has surged in recent years, reaching 21.1% in 2023, up from 14.9% a decade earlier. ………………………………