China’s dormant job market inflames anxieties, simmering social tensions to surface
- Recent outbursts of violence and social conflict in China have sparked heated debate as internet users, experts weigh in on unemployment’s role
Liu Fei, a grass roots community worker in the southern Chinese province of Guangdong, has been busy of late.
She and her colleagues are carrying out what they term “stability maintenance” work to, in part, defuse potential social unrest – and the present state of the economy has made the triggers for such incidents numerous.
Paired with residents in need of help, they carry out daily door-to-door visits and run errands for them if needed, with particular focus on “five special groups”: those with frustrations, failed investments, psychological imbalances, relationship problems or mental disorders.
“Everyone [working] has been quite tense,” Liu said. “[We’re] paying attention to families that are long-term unemployed or in debt, offering them one-on-one care to divert their depression and anger.”
