Recognizing good work (3)

Skilled workforce

Feng Xiliang, a labor expert at Beijing-based Capital University of Economics and Business, said all those honors were designed to show respect and commendation of labor and hard work.

Those honors should encourage the development of the country's skilled workforce that is currently insufficient and in great demand.

"Actually we have seen such trends by analyzing the structure of the medalists," he said.

"Workers who are bestowed those honors should get more material rewards," Feng said.

Compared with the material rewards that are granted to scientific talent and intellectuals, benefits given to model workers are small, he said.

"We could use more incentives and rewards to improve the social status of common laborers to create an environment that respects and commends labor and skilled workers in order to encourage more young people to join the skilled workforce," said Feng.