A pay rise for government workers sparks anger and envy in China
The effort to improve morale has not had the intended effect
In China’s private sector, many complain that jobs and wages are being cut as the country’s economy flounders. So as news spread online in late December that people on the government payroll were being given a salary increase, some netizens were outraged. “Reminds me of a famous Soviet joke,” wrote one. “Brezhnev on stage says, ‘Our lives will get better and better.’ A worker in the audience asks, ‘What about ours?’” Life can be tough as a state employee, but envy of them is growing.
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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Grains for the iron rice bowl”
From the January 11th 2025 edition
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