Greater psychological pressure, higher job expectations and employment restrictions have made it more difficult for jobless men to be re-employed than their female counterparts, today's Labor Daily reported.

According to Shanghai labor department, in the first half of the year 56 percent of the registered unemployed were men, with an average age of 44.

Compared with women who face more pressure from their families, men have more pressure to make a living. Therefore, jobless men usually have high expectations for re-employment.

In the re-employment market, where the service sector plays a major role, more women employees are needed. Women also have the upper hand for jobs slated for middle-aged workers, such as housekeeping, cleaning and caring for the elderly.

Zhang worked in the packaging department of a carpentry factory for 20 years, and after he was laid off half a year ago, he felt totally at a loss. "I don't know what other jobs I can do. I don't like doing cleaning, and I'm also too old for public security jobs. As a man, I find it very depressing to stay at home doing nothing all day," Zhang said sadly.

Zhang is not alone. Many men, not young and with low-level technical skills, are not competitive enough to get re-employed, said an industry analyst, adding that men are facing tougher threats to their livelihoods than women. Shanghai should provide more job training for the jobless to help deal with the problem, he stressed.

(Shanghai Daily October 28, 2005)