Migrant workers join social security system

There's continued progress in social security in the rural areas, with a rise in the number of migrant workers with jobs.

By the end of the third quarter of the year, some 25 million migrant workers were registered as part of the pension insurance scheme. That's up half a million from the start of the year. Meanwhile, the number of such workers covered by unemployment insurance now stands at 16 million, with those covered by health care insurance numbering 43 million.

So far this year, the number of farmers working in the city has gone up by 9 million, to 140 million. Only 10 million returned home from cities. That number hit 70 million at the end of 2008, with the financial crisis entering its most critical period with the collapse of Lehman Brothers in September.