Peasant Industry Backflow "World's Factory" What's happening in China? June 16, 16:26

China has taken the helm to rebuild the economy, saying that it has suppressed the spread of the new coronavirus. However, in the southern part of Guangdong, which is said to be the “factory of the world,” there was a wave of unemployment. A backflow phenomenon occurs when migrant workers, who are called “farmers and workers” from rural areas, lose their jobs and return to their hometowns. In some areas, there is a paper that says "I will give over the factory", and there are protests complaining. I walked around the scene to see what was happening at the Chinese production site. (Guangzhou Bureau Chief Takeo Baba)

The wave of unemployment that spreads to the world's factories

In early April, I heard that something was happening in a district in Guangdong and headed for coverage. 15 minutes by car from the center of Guangzhou, Guangdong Province, which is lined with skyscrapers. It is a place where town factories that produce clothing gather.

Guangdong Province is said to account for a quarter of China's clothing production. It is a major production base that ships all over China and overseas.

In Guangdong, where factories are concentrated, migrant workers from rural areas across China gather for work. This time, I visited a region called "Hubei Village" where many people from Hubei province, where the new coronavirus infection was most serious, lived.

The street was crowded with workers seeking work. A lot of people flocked to the work of sewing a shirt with a tailoring fee of about 180 yen. All the people who are looking for a job look tired.

One man was mumbling.
"There are less jobs than usual and the unit price is cheap. I can't find a good job."

At the roadside, sales representatives from the town factory are also sitting in search of orders. On the signboards to get, words such as "Recruiting customers. You can make shirts and dresses." However, few customers come to order.

Although I returned to work...

Many of the hard-working people have returned to Guangdong Province after the restrictions on movements taken to prevent the spread of infection were eased.

The Chinese government has severely restricted the movement of people in Hubei province since January. After that, the restrictions were relaxed in late March. In an effort to get back on track to restarting economic activity, he issued a dedicated train and bus to promote the return of the peasant workers who had left home during the Lunar New Year holidays.

But waiting for the peasant workers to come back to work was the ironic reality of not having a job. In China, domestic consumption is sluggish due to the spread of infection. Since then, the spread of the infection worldwide has reduced demand from overseas.

According to a April survey conducted by the Chinese government on 3000 manufacturing companies, the index for orders received from overseas was 12.9 points worse than the previous month. The impact of such a decline in orders is directly hitting the factory in Guangdong.

Farmers' "backflow"

It's late April, two weeks after I started collecting data. The situation at "Hubei Village" was getting worse.

At 8 pm, the long-distance bus stop to Hubei province was flooded with lots of luggage. Those who lost their jobs will continue to raise their homes. People holding a sewing machine stand out as well.

A lot of luggage was packed in the trunk of the bus, and a person in charge of the bus company kicked it with his foot and pushed it in. According to the person in charge, I have never seen so many people returning to their hometowns other than the rush return during the New Year.

I called out to a small man standing at the bus stop. A bear in his 50s from Hubei. I have been working in this village for a couple of years at a factory that makes clothes for overseas.

After the restrictions on movement were relaxed, I returned to the factory in late March, but my job was gone. He was looking for a temporary job, but after working for only a few days, he decided to return home.

Mr. Kuma: When
I was living in isolation in Hubei, I wanted to go to work early, but when I came out, I didn't have a job. I couldn't afford to pay rent, so I couldn't live here. I have children, so it's hard to go home without earning money, but I can't help it.''

The farmer workers boarded a large bus with a bunk bed structure. The government's slogan, "reconstruction and reinstatement (restart of operations and production)," was set on the car body. It was the bus they had taken to return to Guangdong since late March.

16 hours to Hubei. A journey of about 1000 kilometers. Five or six cars left this night.

Mr. Kuma also left, saying that "this thing will never come back".

Visit the "I'll hand over the factory" sticker

Furthermore, two weeks later in mid-May. Changes were also taking place at the town factory in "Kohoku Village." As I walked down the street, a large amount of paper stating "I'll hand over the factory" was stuck everywhere. I called one of them and visited.

A room in a multi-tenant building located behind a narrow alley behind the sun. There was a couple stepping on the sewing machine. He is a couple in their 20s from Xu.

There are two 6 tatami mat rooms, which are used as a work space and living space. This time, compared to the usual year, the work volume has decreased by more than 30%, and the tailoring cost has also decreased by 20%.

As the burden of rent increased, I was unable to find a transferee. As soon as they are found, they plan to return to their child's hometown.

Mr. Xu
"Living costs are higher than in my hometown, and my rent is not reduced. I don't know what to do. Half of Hubei-mura may have returned to their hometown. Psychological burden is too heavy and gray hair Has grown"

Xu-san's wife showed us a picture of her child that she could see after a long time on her smartphone. However, after returning to his hometown, he says he has no job.

Mr. Xu's wife
"I want to see my child, but I'm very worried when I think about my income. I don't know where to start living in the future."

Over 70 million unemployed?

The wave of unemployment rushing to the production sites in China is not limited to "Hubei Village," but is spreading throughout Guangdong Province. The decline in orders due to the spread of global infections has threatened not only the V-shaped recovery of the Chinese economy but also the basis of the lives of workers, and anxiety is spreading.

Xi Jinping leadership in May, but the determine the important policy NPC = National People's Congress was held in a 2-month lag, has failed to show a numerical targets for economic growth rate, which has been shown in previous years. The effects of the spread of the global infection could not be read.

On the other hand, he repeatedly emphasized the policy of thoroughly implementing employment measures. It is because there is a sense of crisis that leaving the employment problem unsatisfied with the workers will lead them to the government.

In some areas, there are already protests complaining. Hong Kong media also reported that in Hubei Village, people in the town factory also held a protest demonstration against the local government in mid-April in search of support measures such as rent reduction.

In the video provided by the people concerned, many people went out to the streets by raising the rent, saying "Lower the rent!", and some participants were detained by the police.

The unemployment rate in urban areas announced by the Chinese government does not include peasant workers repatriated to their hometowns. According to Chinese think-tank experts, the actual unemployment rate across China is over 20%, with more than 70 million unemployed.

In Guangdong, which has been said to be the “factory of the world,” it is impossible for the farmers who supported production to return to the factory.

Takeo Baba General Manager, Guangzhou Branch
Joined in 2007
Akita Station, Nagoya Station, International Department