Labor shortage hits Dongguan after prostitution crackdown  

东莞用工缺口达10万人 扫黄后女孩不敢去

广东省人力资源与社会保障厅数据显示，东莞目前用工缺口为10万人。一些企业人士发出了这样的疑问：人都走了，谁来拉动经济?这正是处于转型升级“爬坡越坎”的“世界工厂”——东莞面临的课题。 [查看全文]

(ECNS) -- A shortage of labor has worsened in the service sectors of Dongguan, Guangdong province, following a prostitution crackdown in the city earlier this month, the Chinese Business News observed on Friday.

Statistics released by the Guangdong Human Resources and Social Security Department show that the labor shortfall in Dongguan has reached 100,000.

The large-scale crackdown was launched after a China Central Television (CCTV) program on February 9 revealed that hotels in Dongguan were offering sex services.

"There are many female workers who are reluctant to work in Dongguan after the case, as they are afraid to be mistaken as sex workers," said Yan Mingren, an advisor to the Dongguan Taiwanese Business Association.

The most affected sectors include catering, hotels, footwear industries, and clothing factories.

A large number of nightclubs and Karaoke bars have been shut down since the campaign, according to an official at the municipal service system.

A reorganization has been carried out in massage parlors and bars in the city, the official added.

Although the anti-prostitution campaign has hurt the city's service sectors, it didn't change the economic foundation of Dongguan, said an official from the city's municipal government.

Maintaining sound economic development is the key to rebuilding Dongguan's image, he added.

In 2014, a total of 10.18 billion yuan ($1.6 billion) will be allocated by the Dongguan government to support the growth of the city's real economy. The money is 2.5 times more than the level of 2013.