In chinaland is het tegenwoordig ook niet zo leutig meer. Ze hebben er dit jaar maar 8% groei in de economie, en het gevolg is er naar:

As China’s main external markets plunge into recession and export orders shrink, layoffs have multiplied in the country’s big manufacturing regions.

In Shandong alone, nearly 700,000 people have lost their jobs this year.

In southern Guangdong, tens of thousands of firms have closed, sparking off reverse migration to the countryside by redundant workers.

…maar tegenwoordig moeten fabrieken officiële toestemming vragen als ze meer dan 40 mensen aan de deur willen zetten. Gelukkig is er een alternatief: loonmatiging.

“The factories are not getting enough orders, so some workers have nothing to do,” Chinese media quote a Shandong factory manager as saying.

“I have been thinking of getting rid of some of them to cut costs. But if the government doesn’t agree to my layoff plans, what can I do? I can’t afford to pay them all.”

The alternative may be drastic wage cuts.

In one factory in Guangdong, salaries have been reduced by up to 75%.

Ahem, ja. [bron]