The Social Sciences Documentation Publishing House of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences recently published the 2006 human resources blue paper titled "China Human Resources Development Report No.3". According to this report, there is a huge waste of human resources in China. In 2005, about 25 million professionally competent personnel were wasted. The report also pointed out that 70% of intellectuals were on the verge of overwork death.

In a ranking list that reflects human resource competitiveness in six nations, namely China, the United States, Japan, Germany, Russia and India, China is placed fourth, only ahead of Russia and India, and far behind the United States which tops the list.

The blue paper also gives a ranking list of the human resources competitiveness status in 31 provinces, municipalities and autonomous regions throughout China. The list shows that Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong province are among the top three on the list.

It also points out that 70% of intellectuals are on the verge of dying of overwork. Experts warn that if these intellectuals do not pay attention to their health and try to get out of sub-healthy status, two-thirds of them will die of cardiovascular disease in the near future, one-tenth will die of tumors, and one-fifth will die of lung diseases arising from smoking, diabetes, overwork, or accidents.

In some cities, especially coastal cities where social development is relatively better than that in other areas, the problem of death from overwork tends to become more serious than before, and younger people have begun to suffer from the same problem, too.

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