Hubei seeks to plug labor shortage gap

Hubei provincial government is making joint efforts with multiple departments and enterprises to speed up the labor force replenishment in the capital city of Wuhan, center of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

Currently, Wuhan is facing labor shortage due to the epidemic outbreak, according to Qin Jun, director of Hubei provincial commerce department.

About 10,000 employees - 2,000 for logistics, 4,000 for e-commerce and another 4,000 for brick and mortar stores - are in need, Qin said at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

He said joint efforts have been made by several departments, enterprises and other social organizations to help with the personnel arrangement.

To dispatch daily needs to all residential areas that are now locked down for disease control and prevention need, the city has used buses and even enlisted cash trucks to deliver daily supplements for local residents, he said. 

SF Express, one of the country's largest logistics companies, also transferred its management right within the province to the Wuhan city government.

Qin said the government is encouraging other social organizations and enterprises to contribute their efforts to plug the gap of the city's labor force. And the government will try the best to help workers in need to get back to Wuhan, he said.