Skilled migrant workers in the Pearl River Delta region prefer odd jobs over long-term employment by one factory, which gives rise to a new kind of labor outsourcing, the China Youth Daily said yesterday.

The owner of a garment factory in Humen Township, Dongguan, surnamed Xiang, frequently hires such temporary workers.

He said he was able to find 30 part-time workers through a former employee, now head of a labor group, to fill an emergency order. He paid them twice the average wage, and the workers finished the job in 15 days, just in time for shipping.

The migrants were also satisfied with the cash they received and the freedom they had. Often skilled workers in the garment or electronics industries, part-time workers finish the tasks assigned to them quickly and well. When unemployed, they simply stay in rented apartments and rest.

The paper said there were between 50,000 and 60,000 such workers in the garment industry in Humen alone.

Factory owners prefer to hire temporary employees to fill specific orders rather than offer minimum wages to keep workers during a flat season. Meanwhile employees enjoy the freedom to decide when to work, and a guarantee of cash payment.

"When you enter a industry for the first time, just try different factories and learn continuously," a migrant advised newcomers. "When you are skilled, you can become an odd worker and ask for a salary at least 30 percent higher than others."

A lack of long-term skilled workers has also compelled some factory owners to upgrade technology to replace manpower or open new factories outside the Pearl River Delta, the paper also observed.

Editor: Yan