UNEMPLOYMENT A SERIOUS PROBLEM IN PRC September 18, 1997 - Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan) According to the Central News Agency (Taiwan), unemployment in China is reaching serious levels as 135 million people are now officially out of work. Although economic growth in China has been, according to the World Bank, "spectacular" the job market has shrunk substantially, with only 36 million job opportunities in cities for 54 million new job seekers and 22 million laid-off workers. The Chinese labor force of 723 million people is 1.9 times the total of that of developed countries and 29 percent of the world's total, CNA reports.