Peng Jie, 24, a rural resident from Jingshan county, Hubei Province, joined the People's Liberation Army in late 2006. After serving two years in neighboring Henan Province, he was demobilized in 2008 and settled down in a city near his hometown, where he was lucky enough to find a job with a security company.
It wasn't easy and he was more fortunate than most in his position. "Rural veterans who don't have connections in the cities find it really hard to get a stable job. They often end up in security or logistics industries," he told the Global Times.
Whilst the employment situation is tough for most veterans coming straight out of the army, those from rural areas find it harder than most. They don't have valued qualifications or expertise; nor do they have the connections that can grease the wheels of employment and help them find work in the cities.
A source from the armed police in Northwest China's Gansu Province told the Global Times that 90 percent of the rural residents who leave the armed police services end up heading into the cities, where they attempt to find work or start their own businesses. Very few ever return to rural areas to take up farming.
Fighting for employment
China's revised Military Service Law, which took effect in 2011, stipulates that male citizens turning 18 in a given year are eligible to be enlisted for service that year, and the age limit can be extended to 22 years for those who haven't pursued a tertiary education and 24 for those who have.
The recruits have to serve for two years, then can apply to join the voluntary service system. Their only other option is leaving the army.
Cumquat market in S China's Guangxi
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