China’s local officials under pressure amid coronavirus pandemic to address rise in unemployment
- Chinese leadership prioritises keeping unemployment numbers down as soaring jobless rate threatens social stability
- Policies include incentives aimed at those most at risk – graduates, migrant workers and the small business sector
This is the third in a series of six stories exploring the causes and consequences of the domestic unemployment crisis China may face following the coronavirus pandemic. This story looks at the switch in focus from growth to keeping the country’s jobless rate under control.
“As members of the Chinese Communist Party, we must seek happiness for the people wholeheartedly … and do everything we can to help poverty-stricken families to move into new homes and provide training for them so they can find jobs and live a happy life,” Xi told a family, in the company of local cadres.
But the challenges outlined by Xi were easier said than done, according to experts. They pointed out that surplus farmhands in China’s vast countryside would have to compete with millions of urban labourers for the limited jobs available.