Social Security

Wall Street Journal: China: The Jobs Report

What’s going on in China’s labor markets? Understanding unemployment and wage growth are crucial for understanding developments in the world’s second largest economy, not to mention the future price of everything from Nike sneakers to Apple iPhones.

Guangzhou street cleaners promised 20 percent pay increase after city-wide strikes

The annual meeting of the Guangdong People’s Congress this year was marked by garbage piled up in the streets of the provincial capital Guangzhou as hundreds of sanitation workers in more than five districts around city went on strike for higher pay and social insurance payments. Photography by Hsingy available at flickr.com under a creative commons license.

SCMP: Civil society can help China modernise

While people tend to roll their eyes when they hear a new catchphrase being unveiled by the upper echelons of the Communist Party, it is worth thinking about what the "new modernisations" might mean for the growing role of civil society in China.

Debate on revisions to Labour Contract Law delayed because of deluge of submissions

The Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress (NPC) has postponed discussion of draft revisions to the Labour Contract Law after being inundated with more than half a million submissions during the period of public consultation over the summer.

The Register: Apple urged to defy China's one child policy

Chinese activist and exiled dissident Chen Guangchen has waded into the controversy surrounding working conditions at the Chinese suppliers of big name tech brands by calling on Apple and others to stand up against his country’s infamous one child policy.

APM Marketplace: Auditor says Foxconn is improving work conditions

Today, the Fair Labor Association released an update on whether Foxconn is complying with a series of recommendations it made. Our China Correspondent Rob Schmitz has the latest.

After the dream has faded: A former champion gymnast tells CLB about life after retirement

Failure to cultivate the mind as well as the body leaves China’s athletes ill-equipped to deal with the demands and pressures of today’s job market. Photo Sun Xuguang..

China’s social security system

Creating an effective social welfare safety net in the era of economic reform has been one of the biggest challenges for the Chinese government. The new Social Insurance Law was supposed to address these issues but many problems with enforcement, transferability and fraud remain.Photograph by Delfryn Design available at flckr.com under a creative commons license.

AFP: China's city dwellers overtake rural population

China said the number of people living in cities exceeded the rural population for the first time, a historic shift that experts said would put a strain on society and the environment. The change marks a turning point for China, which for centuries was a mainly agrarian nation but has witnessed a huge population shift to cities over the past three decades as people seek to benefit from rapid economic growth.

Bloomberg: Longer Maternity Leave in China Signals More Women’s Rights

China plans to give women eight days more paid maternity leave in an overhaul of benefits that promises to standardize and improve their labor rights. Standard maternity leave will be increased to 98 days from 90 days, according to draft regulations posted yesterday on the website of the Legislative Affairs Office, a working body of China’s cabinet. The plan includes insurance coverage for claims related to childbirth and miscarriage.

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