Evolution of the unemployment rate in Shanghai (1985-2001): Figure-1
http://www.cefc.com.hk/uk/pc/articles/art_ligne.php?num_art_ligne=37023


3.2. Employment trends in relation to supply and demand on the labour front:

By comparison with other cities in China, employment in Shanghai is not yet a serious social problem. We shall try to estimate the prospects for employment by first considering how supply and demand in the field of work has developed over recent years. For those bound by the household registration system (hukou), the labour market in China still remains segmented. Thus, in Shanghai, the labour market is limited to the supply of labour originating in the city itself. The first factor influencing this market is the slow growth of the city’s population. Since the family planning policy was applied, the natural rate of growth of the Shanghai population has been extremely low. It dropped below zero in 1993, and this tendency persisted thereafter((9). At the same time, the migratory balance (the difference between the growth rates of the immigrant and emigrant populations) remained stable. The level for the rate has been maintained since 1993 at 5%. For Shanghai’s population, that has been reflected in a very low growth rate (see Figure 2).