UNEMPLOYMENT in the cities of China is forecast to hit 7.4 per cent by the end of the century with an estimated 54 million people pouring into urban areas looking for work.
According to a Ministry of Labour report published by the China Women's News, officials hope to keep unemployment below five per cent by the year 2000.
But in the next five years, an additional 7.2 million people are expected to join the job market, taking to 54 million the total number looking for jobs, it said.
Of that total, about 16 million would fail to find work, pushing the urban jobless rate to 7.4 per cent.
Beijing has been anxious to keep unemployment, currently about 2.9 per cent, under control, fearing a huge jobless population could lead to serious social unrest.
Officials admit that during the Ninth Five-Year Plan, covering 1996 to 2000, China will have to create 10 million jobs a year to keep unemployment in check.
