Workers in China's industrial heartland of Shenyang, Liaoning, are suffering more than most with the market reforms.
Not only has a third of the 10-million strong workforce lost their jobs, but their severance pay is well below that of their counterparts in Shanghai and Guangzhou.
The Market Daily claimed yesterday that workers from bankrupt factories and plants have been sent home with pay cheques averaging 139 yuan (HK$130) a month. Workers in Shanghai get 290 yuan, while those in Guangzhou get 590 yuan.
The embattled provincial Government is desperately trying to cope with the problem of mass redundancy, as the ailing state sector crumbles.
About 10 per cent of the mainland's large and medium-sized state-owned enterprises lie in the province.
While Liaoning looks to richer Shanghai and Guangdong for help, other northeastern provinces suffering similar problems anxiously look to it to provide a lead.
However, provincial authorities claim some success in the search for new work.