From our archives

Nov 21, 1983

Most youths find jobs in Beijing

Nearly all of Beijing's young people waiting for jobs are now employed, according to the Municipal Statistical Bureau.

The bureau said jobs had been found for about 900,000 young people over 19 during the past five years. Nearly 81 percent were middle school graduates who failed in college entrance examinations. Others included college and secondary technical school graduates and former servicemen.

The surge in employment was due to the growth of individual and collectively-owned enterprises as 4,900 collective enterprises have been set up since 1978 and permission was also given to 37,000 households to open individually-owned businesses ranging from transportation to catering.

Traffic-easing measures taken in Shanghai

Shanghai is broadening streets and opening new bus lines to cope with the 11 million bus passengers handled each day by the city's transport services.

Under a plan worked out by the Municipal Public Transportation Company, 24 roads will be rebuilt and 11 fly-overs completed by the end of the year.

Shanghai now has 258 bus routes that cover 5,600 km with 4,400 buses and trolley buses, which travel at about 16 km per hour because of traffic bottlenecks.

(China Daily 11/21/2008 page9)