Less than 3% of migrant workers who have returned to Chinese cities in recent months are still unemployed, according to the deputy director-general of the country’s Labor Ministry. Wang Yadong added that only 5% of workers this year have eschewed urban manufacturing jobs in favor of going back to farming, the Wall Street Journal reported. In January, officials estimated that 13-15% of the migrant-worker population – 18-23 million people – had lost their jobs as the global economic downturn hit Chinese exports. Although some experts threw doubt on the accuracy of the new numbers, recent purchasing managers’ index surveys indicate many manufacturers added jobs in May and June. Wang said the total migrant-worker population increased by about 10 million since the end of 2008 to 150 million people in June. However, he warned that China’s employment situation is "still very serious" with many companies still in trouble.
Categories