People seeking employment in China may face greater pressure to find a job this year as the country’s economy continues to face downward pressure, a senior official said on Monday.

　　周一，中国一名高级官员称，受经济下行的影响，今年的求职者将面临更大的压力。

　　Yin Weimin, minister of human resources and social security, said Monday at a press conference that China will experience a complicated job market in 2016 as some workers will be laid off as the government moves to reduce overcapacity. In the coal and steel industries, some 1.3 million and 500,000 people will be affected.

　　尹蔚民，中国人社部部长，在周一的新闻发布会上表示，2016年，中国就业市场将十分复杂，政府化解产能过剩会造成一部分职工下岗。在煤炭和钢铁这两个行业，分别约有130万和50万人将受到影响。

　　Yin said pressure to find a job will also increase as the number of younger job-seekers - mainly college graduates - will rise to 7.65 million this year, 160,000 more than in 2015.

　　尹说，年轻的求职者，特别是高校毕业生的增加(今年的高校毕业生是765万，比去年增加了16万)，也给就业市场增加了压力。

　　China’s working-age population - those aged between 16 and 59 - has dropped by 4.87 million to 910 million, or 66.3 percent of the total population, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Monday.

　　国家统计局（NBS）周一表示，中国的劳动年龄人口（16岁至59岁）已经??降到9.1亿，约占总人口的百分之66.3%，减少了487万人。

　　In 2014, the NBS said China had 915 million workers, down 3.7 million from 2013.

　　此前，在2014年，国家统计局表示，中国有9.15亿劳动力，比2013同比下降370万。

　　Huang Wenzheng, a former Harvard University assistant professor and expert on demographics, told the Global Times that the decline in the working-age population will lead to a decline in consumption, which will further hit China’s economy.

　　黄文政，前哈佛大学助理教授以及人口统计专家，他告诉环球时报，劳动人口的下降将导致消费下降，这将进一步打击中国经济。

　　Huang also predicts that China’s population may begin shrinking by 2023, and recommends that the family planning policy be abolished, which was relaxed beginning January 1 to allow all couples to have two children.

　　黄还预测，中国的人口可能会在2023年开始萎缩，并建议取消计划生育政策，当然，计划生育政策从1月1日开始放宽，允许所有夫妇生育两个孩子。

　　As China gradually loses its population advantage, the country should further increase labor productivity to offset this, Zhai Zhenwu, an expert at the China Population Association, told the Global Times.

　　随着中国逐渐失去人口的优势，国家应进一步提高劳动生产率来抵消这一点，中国人口协会的专家翟振武告诉环球时报。

　　"The most urgent task is to adjust the industry structure and enhance innovation," agreed Li Jianmin, a professor on population at Nankai University.

　　“最紧迫的任务是调整产业结构，提高创新力，”南开大学人口学教授李建民同意说。

　　NBS data shows that China’s labor productivity stood at 76,978 yuan ($11,746) per person in 2015, a 6.6 percent increase from the previous year and the fifth consecutive annual gain, indicating a more productive economy, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

　　国家统计局数据显示，2014年中国劳动生产率是76978元/人（11746美元），比上年提高6.6%，实现了五年连增，表明中国经济更为高效，新华社报道。