Migrant workers seek jobs amid global downturn

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Source: CCTV.com | 02-11-2009 10:19

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Employment in the country, especially in those places with large numbers of labor-intensive enterprises, is now being severely tested.

People search for job information at the job fair  for migrant workers held in Jingmeng City, central  China's Hubei Province, on Feb. 4, 2009. Some 7,000  job vacancies of 130 enterprises were provided to  migrant workers at the job fair. (Xinhua/Zhu Shun)

Guangzhou Railway Station is one of the busiest places in China following the Lantern Festival, which usually marks the end of the two-week long Spring Festival celebration.

This is a day of family reunion, but millions of people have left their homes early to seek a better living.

Most of them are farmers. They have rushed into big cities to find higher-paying jobs. They are migrant workers.

This is a place full of curiosity, expectation and anxiety, because exiting the railway station is just the beginning of a long journey to survive.

As China's manufacturing base, Guangdong Province was among the first to be hit by the global economic downturn. Some have been lucky enough to keep their jobs, while some have lost their jobs.