China National News reported that in China about 20 million rural migrants could not find work because of the global economic crisis, as it admitted mass job lay offs were heightening concerns about social unrest.

The figure marked a three fold increase from previous numbers released by the government last month indicating the slowdown in the world's third biggest economy was accelerating and thousands more factories had closed.

Chinese leaders have long been concerned about the potential for social unrest among its roughly 800 million people who live in the nation's largely poor and polluted countryside. Before the crisis hit, about 130 million had left their homes to seek work in the more prosperous cities, often finding employment in labor intensive industries that supplied the world with cheap consumer goods. But as the global crisis has plunged China's traditional export markets in Europe and North America into recession, large numbers of workers have lost their jobs as their employers have closed or halted production.

Mr Chen Xiwen a senior rural planning official said that "Due to the economic downturn about 20 million rural migrant workers have either lost their jobs or have not yet found employment and have gone home to the countryside.

He said that "After returning to their village, what do they do about revenue. About their lives this is a new factor impacting this year's social stability."

Mr Chen said that an average of 6 to 7 million rural dwellers left their homes to find jobs in cities every year on top of the 20 million jobless workers. He said that "According to these calculations, there will be fairly big pressure on employment for around 25 million rural residents. So ensuring employment and people's livelihood is ensuring rural stability."

The slowdown in the Chinese economy which grew just 9% in 2008 compared with 13% the previous year has magnified a long standing problem of a widening wealth divide between China's cities and countryside.

According to the official Xinhua news agency, China's cabinet on last Sunday released a document acknowledging this as it warned 2009 would be the toughest year since the turn of the century for the development of the countryside.

(Sourced from Chinanationalnews.com)