Top Biz News

Job seekers get shelter

By Shi Jing (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-12-24 07:46

Work on a makeshift shelter in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province, is carried out on Tuesday as part of efforts to accommodate job seekers at a nearby career fair. [China Daily]

Some good has come out of the death of a migrant worker who froze while sleeping under a flyover near the site of a major job fair last week.

Three makeshift shelters, covering more than 1,000 sq m, now stand on the sprawling ground in front of the Nanjing An De Men Migrant Workers Job Market in Nanjing, capital of Jiangsu province.

The sheds, complete with cushions, quilts and sheets, can accommodate 400 people at a time, said an official surnamed Jiang of the Nanjing Sai Hong Qiao community, which paid for the construction of the temporary accommodation for hundreds of migrant workers who continue to flock to the year-round fair despite the dip in mercury.

When the shelter opened on Sunday night, only about a dozen-odd job seekers availed themselves of the free facility.

Jiang said the number, however, is growing by the day.

"On Tuesday night, there were about 60 people sleeping in the sheds," he said.

But an administrator from the job market, which had to provide space to erect the sheds, complained the shelter was "far from satisfactory".

"The sheds barely meet basic living standards," Yuan Liang said.

"No doubt it is still warmer in the shed than it is below the arch of a flyover, but sleeping on the concrete floor in the cold is still pretty harsh," the administrator said.

Yuan said the Yu Hua Tai district government "forced" the job market to provide space to erect a temporary night shelter for the homeless job seekers.

"Our job market is responsible for providing water and electricity at the shelter during the daytime while the government takes over for the night," Yuan said.

"As for some other basic necessities, some enterprises and charities have provided sheets and quilts."

According to Jiang, the district police are also keeping a close watch on the area as a measure to ensure everyone's security.

Last Thursday, a 48-year-old migrant worker, who was spotted in the job market, was found dead under a nearby flyover.

Police confirmed the deceased, who spent the night under the bridge, died due to the freezing temperature.

"It's clear the government moved into action after the media reported the death of the migrant worker," Yuan said.

Thousands of people visit the An De Men Migrant Workers Job Market every day during the peak season. During the winter, however, the number dips to about 500 daily.

"Though there are a lot of opportunities for migrant workers to find jobs at the fair, not everyone will walk away satisfied," Yuan said.

"There are two groups that will especially find it hard to land jobs: One, the aged, who lack the physical strength that most jobs require," he said.

"Two, the inexperienced lot, who aren't satisfied with a 1,200-yuan-a-month ($175) salary."

"But almost all of them are hopeful. So they tend to sleep out on the streets to try their luck in the market the next day," he said.