Worried about unemployment, Chinese workers will not be able to celebrate the New Year
10.02.2024
As the Spring Festival approaches, Chinese people embark on their journey back home, but worries about work and the economic downturn have cast a shadow over the long-awaited family reunions.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese) The Lunar New Year period from February 10 to 17 is usually a time for people to celebrate and relax.But this year many Chinese people say they worry their employers won’t know when, or even if, they will be hired.go back to work。
Wang Jinzhu (transliteration) reviewed the situation of the electric toothbrush manufacturer where he works over the past year. He said: “Business is not very good.” The company exports most of its products to the United States and Europe, and sales fell 30% last year. “I think life is more difficult than in previous years, and it may be even more difficult in 2024,” the 42-year-old worker said before boarding a train in Shanghai bound for Henan.
“Facai” and “BBK” are now out of reach for many Chinese people (file photo)
Price war drives down profits
As rising interest rates and rising protectionism abroad squeeze demand for Chinese products, many Chinese factories are locked in endless price wars for a shrinking market.
China has faced 15 consecutive months of falling producer prices, which has not only depressed corporate profit margins but also jeopardized workers’ incomes and jobs, adding to an already deeply affected country.real estate crisisAnd the world’s second-largest economy, plagued by a debt crunch, adds another headache.
China’s economy grew 5.2% last year, but young people who have lost their jobs after graduation, homeowners whose homes have lost value, and workers whose incomes are lower than a year ago are feeling a shrinking economy.
Nie Yating, who has worked at a pet hospital in Shanghai for the past six months, said many colleagues have seen their monthly salaries reduced by at least 1,000 yuan. The 24-year-old girl from Anqing City, Anhui Province, said: “The company expanded very quickly before, and then the COVID-19 epidemic happened. Many branches were closed, employees were fired, and the wages of those who stayed were also affected.”
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
It’s hard to get home in the snow
Hubei, Hunan, Anhui, Henan and other provinces have been affected by heavy snow and freezing weather. The picture shows a section of highway in Wuhan affected by heavy snow on February 5, with vehicles stuck on the road. Ice and snow weather continues in East China, causing obstacles to Spring Festival transportation.
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
As long as I can go home
Chinese media reported that some people returning home were trapped on highways or high-speed trains for ten or even dozens of hours. For some people, it doesn’t matter if they are later, as long as they can go home. However, there are also people who may not be able to reunite with their families because trains are suspended and tickets for the next few days are sold out. The picture shows a woman holding a child outside Huaibei Railway Station in Anhui on February 4.
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
The rain and snow continue
According to Chinese media reports, Hubei Province, affected by freezing weather, suspended about a thousand trains on February 4 and 5 each, and about 70% of the entrances to Hubei expressways were closed. Other provinces were also affected by snowfall and freezing rain. The meteorological department predicts that there will still be rain and snow in Jianghan, Jianghuai, and northern Jiangnan in the three days starting from the 5th. The picture shows the highway closed on February 4 in Huaian, Jiangsu Province.
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
9 billion passengers
If there is a rain or snow storm on weekdays, the trip can still be rescheduled. But it is difficult to reschedule the Spring Festival. China’s transportation department predicts that the number of people traveling during Spring Festival travel in various forms this year will reach 9 billion, a record high.
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
transportation hub
The picture shows an overhead view of the railway tracks at Zhengzhou Railway Station in Henan Province on February 4. Henan was also affected by heavy snow, with roads and railways blocked.
The number of people during the Spring Festival travel hit a record and the long journey home due to ice and snow was difficult
Vehicles driving slowly to welcome blessings during the New Year
Some Chinese media mentioned the snow disaster during the Spring Festival in 2008, saying that although this year’s rain and snow have not yet reached the scale of that year, they had already caused considerable impact before the Spring Festival. The picture shows a car driving slowly in heavy snow in Huaian, Jiangsu Province.
Government’s message of confidence
In recent months, the Chinese government has stepped up efforts to promote economic confidence to reassure anxious financial markets, even as the country’s stock market remains near five-year lows.
Last Friday (February 2), the title of an article in the Chinese state-run media “People’s Daily”“The whole country is permeated with an optimistic atmosphere” sparking heated discussion. But Wu Kan, who owns six ships and a dozen workers and runs a small dredger company, has no motivation to look optimistically at the rest of 2024.
Instead of returning to his hometown, he traveled to Shandong Province to try to collect overdue payments from clients. Wu Kan said: “Money is very tight now, and the economic situation after the epidemic is also very bad. Everyone is generally short of money.” He added: “If I can’t receive money, I won’t be able to make any investments in the new year.” For him, one of the options to deal with the situation is to close the company.
(Reuters)
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2024-02-10 08:15:40
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