The United Nations estimates that India would soon surpass China as the world's most populous nation. Reacting to this, a demographic expert told CGTN that China has already created the conditions for developing high-quality talents and called for further improvement in the level of education of the labor force.

China amended the Compulsory Education Law in 2006, which instituted the nine-year compulsory education system. The country began its education reforms in 1999 to expand its higher education system.

"The effectiveness of these two reforms is extraordinary, and many of us may have underestimated their importance," said Cai Fang, chairman of the Academic Committee of China Finance 40 Forum, and chief expert of the national think tank of Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The reforms were "to ensure that our current workforce has a relatively high level of education, which is a basic condition for higher-quality talents," he added.

However, Cai cautioned that the advancement of quality of new talents will slowdown in the future, and there is a need for a major breakthrough in the education system and development strategy to further improve the education level of the future labor force.

Cai said that another growing trend is the gradual delaying of statutory retirement. He argued that the core concern for older workers to continue working is whether they are able to adapt to changes in the labor market. 

To address this issue, he suggested that the government's public employment services should prioritize improving the training of employees.

"We also need to provide them with better information about the labor market, so that the labor supply can match the demand," he added.

These measures, in the face of an evolving demographic landscape, can help ensure the continued employment of older workers and improve the overall quality of China's labor force, according to Cai.

Chinese authorities pledged to utilize fiscal and monetary measures in prioritizing employment in 2023. With over 11 million students expected to graduate this year, the government has set the target urban unemployment rate at around 5.5 percent.