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Urban unemployment on rise in China; minister "not optimistic"

Feb 27, 2007, 7:39 GMT

Beijing - Unemployment in China's cities will increase sharply in the coming years, Labour and Social Security Minister Tian Chengping said. He said he expected an additional 10 million unemployed people in urban areas by 2010, official media reported Tuesday. An additional 50 million people will join the urban workforce by then but only 40 million jobs were expected to be created, he said. Such an increase in the numbers of the jobless would more than double the official urban unemployment of 8.49 million from 2005, the latest year that statistics were available. The urban jobless rate that year was 4.2 per cent, according to government statistics. The job situation now and for the foreseeable future is 'not optimistic,' Tian warned. He was speaking Monday at the Standing Committee of China's legislature, the National People's Congress, as it began looking at a bill that would promote employment, increase job training and counter workplace discrimination. 'A law on employment promotion is urgently needed,' Tian told lawmakers, as China sees growing numbers of laid-off workers, university graduates, demobilized servicemen and migrant workers in its cities. © 2007 dpa - Deutsche Presse-Agentur

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Urban unemployment on rise in China; minister "not optimistic"

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