Migrant workers who helped build modern China have scant or no pensions, and can't retire
Associated Press
1 / 12
Duan Shuangzhu, 68, a waste collector who moved to Beijing in late 1990s from a small village in central China's Shanxi, stands next to a rubbish bin while working in Beijing on March 1, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo)A worker cleans the lawn at a park in Beijing, China, March 22, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A worker walks past steel pipes loaded on a truck in Xiongan in northern China's Hebei province on March 14, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Municipal workers sweeps water off the street near Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China, on March 5, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Duan Shuangzhu, 68, a waste collector who moved to Beijing in late 1990s from a small village in central China's Shanxi, stands near a rubbish cart while working in Beijing on March 1, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo)A municipal worker rides a bicycle on a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A municipal worker rides a bicycle on a street in Beijing, China, Thursday, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A worker sits on a street in Beijing, China, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Municipal workers sit in a three-wheeled bike on the street in Beijing, China, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Workers sit on a three-wheeled bike on the street in Beijing, China, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)A worker unloads bicycles for a bike-share service in Beijing, China, March 21, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)Workers construct a steel structure as they build a column at a flyover construction site at Xiongan in northern China's Hebei province on March 14, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo/Tatan Syuflana)
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
Duan Shuangzhu, 68, a waste collector who moved to Beijing in late 1990s from a small village in central China's Shanxi, stands next to a rubbish bin while working in Beijing on March 1, 2024. Chinas first generation of migrant workers played an integral role in the country's transformation from an impoverished nation to an economic powerhouse. Now, they're finding it hard to find work, both because they're older and the economy is slowing. (AP Photo)
