MIGRANT WORKERS MOVING OUT OF COASTAL CITIES AS CRISIS GRIPS CHINESE ECONOMY

Amid the crisis gripping the Chinese economy, some migrant workers, labour brokers and shop owners have started moving out of the coastal cities and returning home as jobs in the country's coastal cities face a reduction in job opportunities, the Voice of America (VOA) reported.

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In its report on Thursday, it said that in China, January is typically a time when many migrant workers begin an annual trip home to celebrate the Lunar New Year. However, this year, the massive exodus from coastal cities to provinces across the country began much earlier.

Since it lifted its draconian COVID-19 controls near the end of 2022, China's economy has been struggling to stage a comeback. Even Chinese President Xi Jinping acknowledged the challenges the country's economy faced in 2023 in a televised speech on December 31 to mark the New Year.

VOA reported that a worker, Ha Hailiang, who worked in China as a labour broker for the past seven years, said that before the COVID-19 pandemic, there were plenty of jobs in Shantou's Chenghai District, home to many factories that manufacture toys.

Now, orders and work have slowed dramatically in the city located north of Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

"Business here in Shantou is particularly bad right now, and no factory has orders," Ma said. "I initially brought 200 people to the factory, but they left for various reasons.