八○年代中期以後，在國企大步改革的情勢下，國企不僅失去其過去作為主要吸 納城鎮勞動力的功能，反將在提升效率的要求下，裁汰大量的冗員，加深失業問題的嚴重性 ，衝擊大陸社會的安定。可以說大陸目前失業率上升是一種需求萎縮下形成的情勢，供需差 距擴大導致失業率開始上升。由於國有大型企業多集中於大陸的北方省分和大城市，因此， 失業狀況乃南北有別，北方較南方嚴重。東北三省原是大陸工業發展重鎮，西北地區則因六 ○年代撤退到此求戰備的軍工企業逐漸凋零，因而湧現大批下崗工人。下崗職工首先面臨的 是生活問題，最明顯可見的是收入的銳減，同時由於收入有限，連帶影響市場的景氣。又由 於在大陸社會主義制度下，一個企業就好比是一個政府，承擔了很重的社會責任，因此下崗 職工失去的不只是一份薪水而已，而是所有的福利保障，失業也導致貧富差距的擴大，不平 不滿的心態下，各地乃陸續有工潮的出現。因應失業問題的逐漸加劇，中共先是採取一般國 家常用的方式－社會安全機制來因應。失業保險涉及龐大的保險基金問題，無法達成迅速紓 困的任務，中共乃再推出「再就業工程」以應燃眉之急。然而解決問題的根本方法在於增加 就業機會，而就業機會的增加又主要決定於經濟的增長。中共因而指出經濟增長速度只有保 持在 8% 或更高一些始能有效緩解就業壓力。然而在改革初期經濟快速的增長後，「九五」 以後成長勢必趨緩, 加上「亞洲金融風暴」衝擊，要達成今年經濟增長 8% 的目標困難度將 十分大。今年三月九屆人大通過「國務院機構改革方案」，將國務院由目前的四十個部、 局、署裁撤、合併至二十九個，失業問題將更雪上加霜。

　　　　　The drive since the mid-1980s to enhance the efficiency of mainland China's state-owned enterprises has resulted in remarkable personnel reduction in these enterprises and has consequently led to an ascerbation of the unemployment problem in aminlang china. The unemployment problem is most serious in the north of China due to the high concentration of large-sized state-owned enterprises (most of mainland China's industrial enterprises are in northeast China while the war industry is in the northwest). The unemployment problem in mainland China has seriously affected social stability. Under the socialist system, the loss of a job means that a worker loses not only his income but also all social welfare benefits. Thus increasing unemployment has to recurrent strikes in many locales. As setting up an unempolyment insurance system throughout mainland China is a time-consuming endeavor, the Chinese Communist authorities have put forth another remedial measure called the "reemployment project." The goal of this project is to offer more employment opportunities by boosting the economy. If mainland China's economic growth rate can be maintained at a level of eight percent or higher, more employment opportunities can be created. However, under the influence of the "financial tempest" in Asia, such a growth rate is very difficult to maintain. The decision made at the Ninth NPC in March of this year to reduce the number of State Council departments from the original 40 down to 29 will only increase the seriousness of mainland China's unemployment problem.