GUANGZHOU, Jan. 3 (Xinhua) -- A labor shortage, a chronic problem that has plagued the southern manufacturing hub of Guangzhou over the past few years, may become even worse in 2012 as more workers will be unwilling to come back after holidays, a human resources official said Tuesday.

Workers are less interested in coming back to Guangzhou after this year's Spring Festival, which falls on Jan. 23. This means the city may face an even worse labor shortage, Zhang Baoying, director of the city's human resources service center, said.

After the Spring Festival, migrant workers in recent years have been seeking jobs closer to their hometowns that offer more competitive wages as China's inland provinces have been experiencing brisk development.

Surveys in over 40 of Guangzhou's enterprises showed that fewer workers than usual want to come back after going home for the festival, a time when most Chinese go home and spend time with their families, Zhang said.

In previous years, an average 60 percent of 3.54 million migrants in the city went home for the festival and 95 percent would return after the holiday.

This year, the percentage of people intending to come back will be even lower, Zhang said without elaborating.

Guangzhou has been hit by labor shortages. In the first half of 2011, companies in the city offered 1.28 million vacancies while only 1.01 million people were seeking jobs.