China’s government removed tens of thousands of “phantom employees” from state payrolls amid a campaign by Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to crack down on corruption and eliminate waste.
A total of 162,629 employees who had continued to draw salaries after leaving their posts were cleared out of central and provincial governments, state-controlled financial companies and universities as of Sept. 25, the official People’s Daily reported on Monday. The country also disposed of 114,418 government vehicles, it said in a separate report.
The moves build on Xi’s broader anti-graft campaign to crack down on the abuse of power by officials after he became head of the Chinese Communist Party in November 2012.
Central government agencies cut their fleet by 37 percent last year, according to the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection and the Ministry of Supervision. Xi’s government has also cut spending on business travel and entertainment.
The government removed more than 55,000 workers in Hebei Province who were getting paid even though they no longer hold positions, the People’s Daily reported.
In the southwestern Sichuan Province, more than 28,000 officials were paid even though they did not work, and 15,000 were uncovered in Henan Province, the report said.
The missing employees are typically government officials’ relatives or children, China National Radio said.
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