China rust belt city faces growing exodus as workers seek living wage

Pay gap with major urban areas widens amid stagnant real estate market

20240716N China city 2

China's ongoing real estate slump has exacerbated economic stagnation in regional cities such as Shenyang. © Kyodo

KENTARO SHIOZAKI, Nikkei staff writer

SHENYANG, China -- Although China's economy grew 4.7% in the April-June quarter, employment and domestic demand remain sluggish in regional cities like Shenyang that are losing workers in droves and where making a living wage is becoming harder.

Zhang, a taxi driver in Shenyang, a once-bustling industrial city in Liaoning province in northeastern China, has begun looking for work abroad, possibly in Singapore.

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