Cut-price homes for migrants

GUANGZHOU: Skilled migrant workers here are being offered low-cost housing and free education for their children, as part of a series of measures to help them counter the effects of the financial crisis, the provincial government said yesterday.

People with technical qualifications can now enjoy the same housing benefits as Guangzhou's permanent residents, and rent properties for as little as 1 yuan (15 cents) per square meter, the labor and social security bureau said in a circular.

A typical family apartment would normally cost about 10 yuan per square meter to rent.