Job cuts in China appear to be on the rise, dimming prospects for a labor market that has been a resilient bright spot amid a slowdown in the world's second-largest economy.

dimming：调光；变暗　　　　resilient： 弹回的，有弹力的　　　　slowdown： 减速；怠工；降低速度　　

The latest sign came on Thursday, when preliminary gauges of August factory activity and hiring showed continued weakness. The HSBC China Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index dipped to 47.8 for August from July's 49.3, continuing a 10-month string of results below the 50 level that separates growth from contraction.

gauge： 计量器；标准尺寸；容量规格， 测量；估计；给…定规格　　dipped to：降至　　contraction：收缩，紧缩；缩写式；害病

Behind weak activity: a slowdown in trade and shrinking real-estate investment. China's exports grew just 1% in the year to July, and exports from coastal hot spots such as the city of Shanghai and the provinces of Jiangsu and Zhejiang contracted.

real-estate：不动产的

Meanwhile, an August reading of 47.7 in the PMI survey's employment subindex, unchanged from July, shows firms shedding workers for the sixth consecutive month.

subindex：分指数　　　　shedding：脱落，蜕落　　　　consecutive：连贯的，连续不断的

The results follow sporadic reports of job cuts in some parts of the country.

sporadic：零星的；分散的；不定时发生的

'Anecdotal evidence suggests that an increasing number of coastal enterprises are laying off workers or closing down factories,' HSBC economists said in a note. 'It is time for Beijing to focus more squarely on the job market.'

Anecdotal：轶事的；轶事一样的；多轶事的　　lay off：解雇；休息；停止工作    squarely：直角地；诚实地；正好；干脆地；正当地

There are also some signs that labor unrest is on the rise. China Labour Bulletin, a nongovernmental organization that tracks collective action by Chinese workers, recorded 37 incidences of worker strikes and protests in July, roughly double the number in January, with more actions over unpaid wages.

incidence：发生率；影响；[光] 入射；影响范围 　　strikes：罢工，攻击

Third-quarter economic data so far suggest China's first-half slowdown is continuing, increasing pressure on policy makers to increase lending or boost government spending to rekindle growth.

rekindle：重新点燃，再点火

Judging the true state of China's labor market is difficult. So far the weakness appears to be well short of the job losses that followed the global financial crisis, which saw as many as 20 million unemployed migrant workers head back to their home towns--a major factor in prompting a massive stimulus spending program by Beijing.

head back to：返回　　massive：大量的；巨大的，厚重的；魁伟的　

Other gauges suggest many firms are still hiring, albeit it at a slower pace.

albeit：虽然，即使

At a government labor exchange in the center of Beijing on Thursday, there was little sign of anxiety among those looking for work. Lin Wei, a recent graduate from China University of Petroleum, was looking for a first job in civil engineering. 'I have only been looking for a week but there seems to be a number of opportunities,' she said.

civil engineering：土木工程

Song Guibo, a human-resources manager at Vanke Management Services, was at the exchange to fill vacancies for security guards, receptionists, and cleaners. His main complaint was a shortage of workers. 'We mainly employ migrant workers, and they can get higher wages in the provinces now, so not so many are coming to Beijing' said Mr. Song.

vacancy：空缺；空位；空白；空虚　　security guards：保安，警卫　　　receptionists：前台接待　　　　　

The Chinese government publishes numbers on unemployment, which shows the rate at 4.1% in the second quarter, unchanged from the end of 2010. But economists widely regard the figure as unreliable, partly because it does not measure joblessness among migrant workers.

Analysts say that unemployment may lag changes in the economy. A new labor law, which came into force in 2008 and makes it costly to fire workers, and concern about a shortage of workers when growth picks up mean firms are reluctant to let workers go.

A shoe-factory owner in the eastern city of Wenzhou who gave his name as Mr. Mao said that new labor regulations make it difficult for him to lay off any of his 800 workers. 'We don't fire them, they fire us,' he said, referring to a practice in which migrant workers hop between factories based on where orders and wages were strongest.

regulations：条例，规定，章则

'The problem with the generation of workers born after the 1980s is that they are not able to eat bitterness,' he said. 'They are not as hard working as their parents.'
Chen Shao, China analyst at Macquarie, says that factory owners he visited on a recent trip to Fujian were hanging on to workers to avoid losing face. 'They don't want to signal to competitors or creditors that they are in difficulty,' he said.

bitterness：苦味，苦难，怨恨　　hang on to：紧紧抓住，紧握　　creditor：债权人，债主

Guo Sheng, the chief executive officer of recruitment website Zhaopin.com, said that growth in the number of jobs advertised on the website had slowed sharply, from 77% growth in 2011 to 17% growth in 2012. 'The bad news is that growth in job opportunities has slowed, the good news is there is still growth,' he said.

recruitment：补充，招聘

He also sees signs that the slowdown in China's growth was denting wage increases. 'At the end of 2011 and the beginning of 2012 wages were rising at around 15% to 20% a year,' he said. 'From the second quarter we are seeing slowing growth and falling inflation reducing wage increases.

dent：削弱，削减　　　　inflation：膨胀；通货膨胀；夸张；自命不凡