The number of people working in the commerce sector will reach 2.04 million in Beijing this year, accounting for 25.1 percent of the city's total working population, according to Beijing Municipal Bureau of Commerce.

 

In the first ten months this year, 99,900 jobless people found jobs, 60,900 of them worked in commerce sector, according to the bureau figures.

 

Processing industry, chain stores and retail sales are the major sectors absorbing increasing number of laborers.

 

Statistics show that daily sales of consumer goods reached 790 million yuan (US$97.5 million) in Beijing, twice the figure for 2000.

 

(Xinhua News Agency December 31, 2005)