China and Chinese workers have benefited greatly from the newest wave of economic globalization, as manufacturing factories have been pumping out everything from dolls to DVD players for consumers around the world. But the obvious downside of that story is that, when consumers stop buying, demand for those products dries up, and it is only a matter of time before that leads to mass downsizing of the labour force serving the export market. This BBC story examines what is happening in the Chinese province of Guangdong, one of China’s leading manufacturing areas.
The article notes that of approximately 10 million migrant workers looking for work in Guangdong, 1 in 5 will struggle to find work during the current economic downturn. Watch the video, its very interesting.
