SHANGHAI -- As early as 5 a.m., men on electric bikes begin to arrive at a street in the western outskirts of the Jiangsu Province city of Xuzhou, a gathering point for day laborers. By shortly after 6 a.m., their ranks have swelled into the hundreds.
Brokers rattle off the jobs on offer -- "interior construction, 200 yuan ($28) a day, up to three days," one says. Once a broker and laborer agree on terms, the worker heads directly to the job site.
