More dormitory accommodation is to be developed to meet the needs of an increasing number of migrant workers and avoid the safety problems associated with "collective rentals", a spokeswoman for the Shanghai municipal government said yesterday.

Jiao Yang said the local government had drawn up a plan to convert commercial buildings, such as warehouses, into low-cost homes for the city's ever expanding labor force.

"As the city's economy has grown and the industry structure has changed, many old factory buildings and warehouses have been turned into apartments," she said.

"So it makes good sense for the government to use this idea to provide housing for migrant workers. By doing so, we also hope to curb the market for collective rentals (the unlicensed division of apartments into multiple low-cost cubicles) and remove the safety risks associated with them," Jiao said.

Soaring purchase and rental prices in Shanghai have put most housing options out of the reach of migrant workers. Lots of new apartments are being built, but few people can afford them, she said.

Despite the rising prices, people from across the countryside continue to flood to the city. But while there are plenty of jobs for them, there is a definite lack of affordable housing, Jiao said.

With its housing plan, the government is making the safety of migrant workers its top priority, she said.

(China Daily November 15, 2007)