The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Off-farm Employment and Earnings in Rural China

The Impact of the Global Financial Crisis on Off-farm Employment and Earnings in Rural China

This paper examines the effect of the financial crisis on off-farm employment of China's rural labor force. Using a national representative data set collected from across China, the paper finds that there was a substantial impact. By April 200...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors:	Huang, Jikun, Zhi, Huayong, Huang, Zhurong, Rozelle, Scott, Giles, John
Format:	Policy Research Working Paper
Language:	English
Published:	2012
Subjects:	ADJUSTMENT PROCESS AFFECTED WORKERS AGE GROUP AGRICULTURAL UNIVERSITIES AVERAGE WAGE BONUSES CRISES CULTIVATED LAND EARNING ECONOMIC SHOCKS ECONOMIC SLOWDOWN EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT EMPLOYMENT EMPLOYMENT EFFECT EMPLOYMENT EFFECTS EMPLOYMENT HISTORIES EMPLOYMENT HISTORY EMPLOYMENT RATE EMPLOYMENT RATES EMPLOYMENT SHARE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION EMPLOYMENT STATUS EMPLOYMENT TRENDS FARM FARM EMPLOYMENT FARM WORK FARMING FEMINIZATION OF AGRICULTURE GENDER DISPARITIES GLOBAL LABOR MARKET GLOBAL MARKETS HUMAN DEVELOPMENT HUMAN RESOURCES INCOME INCOME DISTRIBUTIONS INTEREST RATES INTERNATIONAL MARKETS JOB LOSS JOB PLACEMENT JOB SEARCH JOBS LABOR ECONOMICS LABOR FORCE LABOR MARKET LABOR MARKET FLEXIBILITY LABOR MARKETS LABOR SUPPLY LABORERS LABOUR LABOUR FORCE LAID-OFF WORKERS LAYOFF LAYOFFS LITERATURE LONG-TERM UNEMPLOYMENT MIGRANT LABOR OLDER WORKERS PAPERS POOR HOUSEHOLDS PRODUCE PUBLIC SERVICES RESEARCHERS RURAL EMPLOYMENT RURAL LABOR RURAL LABOR MARKETS RURAL WORKERS SELF EMPLOYED SERVICE SECTOR SOCIAL SCIENCES UNEMPLOYED UNEMPLOYMENT UNEMPLOYMENT RATE UNSKILLED WORKER UNSKILLED WORKERS WAGES WORK FORCE WORK IN PROGRESS WORKERS WORKING YOUNGER WORKERS
Online Access:	http://www-wds.worldbank.org/external/default/main?menuPK=64187510&pagePK=64193027&piPK=64187937&theSitePK=523679&menuPK=64187510&searchMenuPK=64187283&siteName=WDS&entityID=000158349_20101008100632 http://hdl.handle.net/10986/3925

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Summary:	This paper examines the effect of the financial crisis on off-farm employment of China's rural labor force. Using a national representative data set collected from across China, the paper finds that there was a substantial impact. By April 2009 the reduction in off-farm employment as a result of the crises was 6.8 percent of the rural labor force. Monthly earnings also declined. However, while it is estimated that 49 million were laid-off between October 2008 and April 2009, half of them were re-hired in off-farm work by April 2009. By August 2009, less than 2 percent of the rural labor force was unemployed due to the crisis. The robust recovery appears to have helped avoid instability.

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