Micro Credits: A New Turn for "Laid-Offs"

Jia Xiangde just didn't know what to do when, five years ago, he lost his job at a state-owned chemical factory. He was given mi "unemployment pay" of 200 yuan (US$24.1) per month for his family of seven. "My wile had no job and life was really hard for us," he recalls. "I had thought I would be done for until the government stepped in to help. I got a petty loan from the government, and that has helped me turn a new leaf in life."