The news that gunmen have kidnapped two Chinese engineers – along with four Afghans - in the northern Faryab province of Afghanistan has sparked a heated debate here in China. The engineers had been working on a road project in the area with a Chinese company when they were kidnapped on Saturday. The Taliban has since claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. This case has grabbed lots of attention from Chinese net users.

Recently, the government of Ningbo, a city in Zhejiang province, announced a change in working hours for civil servants. The new work schedule will be from 9:00 to 12:00 in the morning and from 2:00 to 5:30 in the afternoon, giving them a six and a half hour working day.

That total is 30 minutes shorter than before the new rules. Officials say the move is aimed at easing rush hour traffic. The cut in working hours mimics other provinces such as Guangdong, Fujian, and Hebei.

A survey by information website, infzm.com carried out a poll asking people their opinion on the shorter work hours for these public servants. Seventy-six per cent of the respondents said shortening the working day shows the current workload of public servants is not enough, and so there should be staff reductions.

Caitlin Rhodes and two of her close friends talk about working in China. They give the audience job hunting tips, share opportunities for foreigners working in China, and compare US and Chinese office culture.

Caitlin Rhodes and two of her close friends talk about working in China. They give the audience job hunting tips, share opportunities for foreigners working in China, and compare US and Chinese office culture.

BIG GROWTH FOR LITTLE PEOPLE

Now, just how many hours a week do you work? Well here in China the official forty-hour work week has been in place over 15 years. Back in 1995 it was decide to abolish the practice of half day work on Saturdays and introduce the five day week with 8 hours work per day. In theory working beyond this should be compensated with overtime. But is that really the case? With so much competition for jobs today who is going to risk losing their coveted position for complaining about working extra hours?

Experts here say the Honda factory strikes could just be the tip of the iceberg as China's workforce make greater demands for decent wages and working hours. That's right.

Analysts say that younger factory workers - having grown up in a time of relative prosperity - will find it increasingly difficult to accept low pay and grueling work hours the way previous generations have. China's rapidly aging population also is expected to boost labor's leverage as the number of working-age Chinese dwindles to about half its current portion of the population by 2030.

There are labor shortages in many export-driven coastal provinces because of rapid development in China's interior. And several provinces and major cities like Shanghai have had little choice but to raise minimum wages. And the Honda strike appears to have worked – the workers have been offered a 24 percent pay rise that would bring monthly salaries to about $281. So is striking the answer? Is downing tools and refusing to work the best way to improve working conditions? Or are there more constructive ways to improve things in the workplace? That's a question we put to people in today's Straight from the Street.

Since China reformed its public holiday system in 2008 the traditional (PIC) Mid-autumn festival has become an official one day holiday. This year it fell on a Wednesday, making it awkward for anybody who has to travel to spend the day with family. So how do people manage? Well most of the country uses a system of swapping weekends for work days to ensure a few days off together. This year that meant working the following Saturday and Sunday. And it’s complicated even more because of the upcoming national holiday on October 1st. So are people happy about this system and how did they arrange the holiday? Well, that’s what we went out and asked in today’s Straight for the Street.