Iron rice bowl

"Iron rice bowl" (鐵飯碗) is a term used in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and other ethnic Chinese communities to refer to an occupation with guaranteed job security, as well as steady income and benefits. Traditionally, people considered to have iron rice bowls include military personnel, members of the civil service, as well as employees of various state run enterprises.

Recent moves at cutting benefits and privatization of various state run businesses in Taiwan such as the Taiwan Railway Administration and China Airlines have led many in those industries to believe that their iron rice bowls are in jeopardy, and has led to strikes (and threats thereof), as well as being the subject of much political debate.

When Deng Xiaoping began his labor reforms in the PRC in the 1980s, the government iron rice bowl jobs were some of the first to go. Almost overnight fully one third of China's workforce were unemployed. A large majority of these people became migratory workers, moving from job to job in great masses. Factory and construction work were, and continue to be, standard employment.

The effects of this change are still felt today in modern China.