More than 1 million jobless migrant workers who have returned to Henan amid the economic downturn will be provided with subsidies for vocational training to help them find jobs, the local government said yesterday.

"A huge number of migrant workers have returned to the province since the end of last year. We are concerned about their future, and will step up vocational training courses so that they are able to find work opportunities," Liu Mancang, deputy governor of Henan, told reporters on the sidelines of the second session of the 11th provincial people's congress, which opened on Monday.

With the impact of the economic slowdown exacerbating on a national scale, forcing the shutters down on hundreds of thousands of small and medium-sized plants, the province, home to China's largest migrant population of nearly 20 million, is one of the hardest hit.

So far, nearly 5 million migrant workers have returned to the province. With the Lunar New Year Festival still two weeks away, "another 1 to 3 million" workers are expected to return, which will, in total, be about 20 to 50 percent more than the previous years, according to statistics from the provincial labor and social security bureau.

"More than 60 percent of the migrant workers, who have come back, have complained of factory closures or severe pay cuts in the wake of the recession," said Liu Tao, deputy director of the bureau.

He added that an initial survey has indicated that 20 percent of the jobless workers "may not want to work in large cities for the time being".

In a bid to help the jobless workers out of the difficult situation, the government has planned a series of measures to ensure a livelihood for them, Liu said.

Apart from receiving vocational training in areas such as welding and even computers, workers will also be encouraged to start their own businesses.

"Pig-raising and bamboo-weaving, for instance, are good choices," said Liu.

A public service platform, which will provide workers with information on job vacancies as well as recommend suitable candidates for jobs, is also on the government agenda.

As the central government is working on a 4 trillion yuan economic stimulus package to pump up domestic consumption, rural infrastructure projects, like railway construction and hydraulic plants, can absorb some local labor force, Liu told China Daily.

"Though the negative impact of the slowdown may be very hard, it also provides an opportunity to attract more labor-intensive enterprises, which in turn will provide employment opportunities for the rural population," Liu said.

(China Daily January 14, 2009)