ABSTRACT
The forces of globalization and economic reform in the People’s Republic of China have led to government efforts to downsize state-owned enterprises and support a competitive labour market. This means that urban Chinese workers who have been laid off (xiagang) no longer benefit from the employment security of the Chinese socialist state and are being forced to experience the uncertainties and stresses of unemployment and job search. Unemployed workers and their families have been forced to compete in unfamiliar and increasingly competitive labour markets. The employment transitions occurring in the People’s Republic of China are particularly rapid and intense, and are creating powerful demands on individual workers and their families to effectively cope with economic stress and labour market uncertainty (Lee 1998; Perry and Selden 2000; Riskin 1999; Tang and Parish 2000; Zhou et al. 1997; Warner 2000, 2001).
