ABSTRACT
For those identified by local officials as living in poverty or extreme poverty households, temporary fmancial relief (shehui jiuji) is available. The escalating number of laid-off workers and the movement of large numbers of the rural poor to more prosperous urban areas in search of higher incomes have contributed to a rapid growth in the number of the urban poor (UNDP and ILO, 2000). The number below the official poverty line is 13 million or some 3.5 per cent of the urban population (Hussain, 2000). However, Guan (1999) regards this estimate as very conservative and suggests that the figure could be as high as 15 per cent. In addition to the problem of income-poverty, there has also been a rapid rise in the number of urban dwellers without entitlements to social benefits such as education, health care and pensions. This is the position of the great majority of non-residents but it may also be the case for many employees and pensioners where the responsible work unit can no longer meet its obligations.
