Aimed at single, male migrant workers, Love Love Happiness, in China’s city of Shenzhen, sold sex with silicone dolls until police shut it down. Now its owner is trying to save his business.

Shanghai is China’s most densely packed urban metropolis, but the exodus of jobseekers from other regions, an inability to convince couples to have children, an ageing population and zero-Covid measures took a toll last year.

Workers would normally return to Guangzhou and other major factory hubs next week, but long lines for jobs this week show how keen they are to earn a pay cheque after a difficult 2022.

The population of China’s Jiangxi province rose by some 100,000 last year, with around 90 per cent of growth coming from interprovincial migration, with demographers saying the free flow of workers is essential to the health of regional economies.

Outspoken former finance minister Lou Jiwei says policymakers need to bring a reformist mindset to land, welfare and tax, while easing market concern that the wealthy will be targeted to narrow the wealth gap.

Do I stay or do I go? The question has risen to greater prominence among China’s youth than perhaps ever before in their quest to find stable employment in difficult economic times.

China’s government says it has averted a large-scale return to poverty after a year of coronavirus outbreaks and economic challenges, but the declining incomes of rural migrant workers remains a pressing issue.

China’s decision to relax virus restrictions is likely to ease pressure on low-income households, but millions are at risk of slipping back into poverty as the economy struggles to recover after nearly three years of zero-Covid.

China’s sluggish economy and strict zero-Covid policy have hit low-income earners hard, leaving them vulnerable to slipping back into poverty while undermining Beijing’s pledge to reduce income inequality.

Observers have long questioned China’s unemployment data, saying it is too low and too stable, and therefore not an accurate snapshot of the job market.

Residents confirm unrest erupted on Monday night in urban villages in the city’s Haizhu district, home to the country’s biggest fabric market.

Coronavirus controls, market turmoil stoked by the Ukraine war and sluggish global demand are challenging manufacturers in China’s southern export hub Dongguan.

Premier Li Keqiang urged action to curb rising unemployment to aid the struggling economy with China’s headline urban unemployment rate standing at 5.9 per cent last month.

Such payments are a major source of income for many low-income households, with around 800 million family members expected to benefit in 2022. Trend could slow as inflation erodes wages, and as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Film shines a light on the challenges faced by Filipino domestic workers in Hong Kong, who are often regarded as second-class citizens and sometimes ill-treated by employers.

China’s manufacturers are increasingly struggling to recruit workers, as young people turn up their noses at the low wages and lack of advancement opportunities in factory work.

Dozens of domestic workers who tested positive for Covid-19 have been left homeless and facing discrimination; crisis highlights need to revise rule forcing them to live in the same house as employers.

Beijing’s population of 21.89 million decreased by about 4,000 last year, while places such as Chengdu added nearly a quarter-million residents – a trend some attribute to rising costs and job uncertainties.

Downward trend could continue this year as the pandemic endures, experts say, while broader concerns stretch to the impact of urbanisation on China’s birth rate.

The story of an 11-year-old boy who wakes up at 5am to head to school while his father watches from 267km away has gone viral in China.

Deterred by the discouraging travel policies and sporadic outbreaks of the Omicron variant, more than 70 per cent of domestic tourists chose short-distance trips.

Social media recently became enthralled by the story of a 31-year-old migrant who taught himself English, translated a philosophy book and found he could make a living without manual labour, bucking migrant stereotypes.

Hefei, the capital of central Anhui province, is handing out a coupon worth 1,000 yuan (US$157) to migrant workers if they choose to stay in the city over the holiday, rather than making the annual pilgrimage home.

This week’s quirky stories from China feature a woman trying to “borrow” the local police to catch her husband cheating, except he wasn’t.

News goes viral online, and a demographer suspects grass-roots officials “falsely reported the population on the census”.