Chinese attempt to accommodate reverse migration

A story in today's NYT follows up on other recent reports about the faltering economy's consequences for China's significant migrant population. Other media reports (like those discussed in posts here and here) have suggested that the Chinese government is worried about the resulitng unrest, which is likely to continue in the wake of massive job losses. Such losses are driving many workers back to their rural places of origin where there is typically inadequate work to support them.

Today's story by Keith Bradsher notes that regional officials are now encouraging migrants to go to rural areas by offering incentives that might facilitate rural development. Here's an excerpt, referring to the Guangdong Provincial Labor and Social Security Bureau:

But the bureau also said it would offer numerous subsidies for workers willing to leave the cities and go to rural areas — including free vocational classes, subsidized school fees for children and a waiver of government fees for the registration of new small businesses.