Sacked workers dive into taxis

China issued 5.79 million driving licenses for online taxi services, a 45 percent jump year-on-year, amid the wave of unemployment among middle-aged people, say mainland media.

The number of active online taxi-like private cars in Guangzhou alone has doubled in one year.

This comes as more people were dismissed amid the slower-than-expected economic recovery.

Chen Xi, aged 35, was fired at the beginning of this year and was forced to become a full-time online taxi driver on Uber-like platforms.

Chen must drive more than 10 hours every day, but his earnings keep falling.

The report said the hourly wage for the drivers ranges from 20 to 40 yuan (HK$43), after the online taxi platforms take a commission of up to 30 percent. To save costs, some drivers turn off the air-conditioning while waiting for new orders on hot days.