Financial crisis forces China´s migrants back home for work

Source: Xinhua | 12-09-2008 17:34

BEIJING, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- The migrant worker knew little about the "financial storm" that has swept the world. The only thing he was worried about was where was he going to find his next job.

Several days ago, 30-year-old Cai Haihua from rural area of east China's Jiangxi province was a worker in a small factory making machinery parts in the booming Zhejiang Province. After months with few orders, the factory decided to close one of the production lines and asked its more than 40 workers to do shift work with less working hours.

Although not laid off, Cai saw his salary reduced from 1,700 yuan (250 U.S. dollars) to less than 600 (88 U.S. dollars).

He has planned to seek a job in hometown.

"I could find something to do (to earn money) anyway," he said.

For a similar reason, 33-year-old Yu Yuanhua from the Guangfeng county of Jiangxi quit her job in a clothes factory in Cixi of Zhejiang a month ago, where she had worked for about five years.

She tried to change her company there, but it is hard because labor supply exceeded the demand.

As a result, both Cai and Yu are among the migrants returning home amid the financial crisis that closed or affected a large number of Chinese companies.