The jobless became desperate for work – any work that would help them to support their families.
Examples (Wiktionary)
Mandarin
连续创业者
連續創業者
lián xù chuàng yè zhě
serial entrepreneur
Mandarin
观光业者
觀光業者
guān guāng yè zhě
people in the tourism industry
Mandarin
许多工商业者在讲习班里学习了几十天，回到工厂，同工人群众和公方代表有了更多的共同的语言，改善了共同工作的条件。
許多工商業者在講習班裏學習了幾十天，回到工廠，同工人羣眾和公方代表有了更多的共同的語言，改善了共同工作的條件。
xǔ duō gōng shāng yè zhě zài jiǎng xí bān lǐ xué xí le jǐ shí tiān ， huí dào gōng chǎng ， tóng gōng rén qún zhòng hé gōng fāng dài biǎo yǒu le gèng duō de gòng tóng de yǔ yán ， gǎi shàn le gòng tóng gōng zuò de tiáo jiàn ．
When they return to the enterprises after being in study groups for some weeks, many industrialists and businesspeople find that they have more of a common language with the workers and the representatives of state ownership, and so there are better possibilities for working together.
Mandarin
第三是手工业者。这是一个广大的群众。他们自有生产手段，不雇工，或者只雇一二个学徒或助手。他们的地位类似中农。
第三是手工業者。這是一個廣大的羣眾。他們自有生產手段，不僱工，或者只僱一二個學徒或助手。他們的地位類似中農。
dì sān shì shǒu gōng yè zhě ． zhè shì yī ge guǎng dà de qún zhòng ． tā men zì yǒu shēng chǎn shǒu duàn ， bù gù gōng ， huò zhě zhǐ gù yī èr gè xué tú huò zhù shǒu ． tā men de dì wèi lèi sì zhōng nóng ．
Third, the handicraftspeople. They are very numerous. They possess their own means of production and hire no workers, or only one or two apprentices or helpers. Their position is similar to that of the middle peasants.
Mandarin
小手工业者所以称为半无产阶级，是因为他们虽然自有简单的生产手段，且系一种自由职业，但他们也常常被迫出卖一部分劳动力，其经济地位略与农村中的贫农相当。
小手工業者所以稱為半無產階級，是因為他們雖然自有簡單的生產手段，且係一種自由職業，但他們也常常被迫出賣一部分勞動力，其經濟地位略與農村中的貧農相當。
xiǎo shǒu gōng yè zhě suǒ yǐ chēng wéi bàn wú chǎn jiē jí ， shì yīn wèi tā men suī rán zì yǒu jiǎn dān de shēng chǎn shǒu duàn ， qiě xì yī zhǒng zì yóu zhí yè ， dàn tā men yě cháng cháng bèi pò chū mài yī bù fen láo dòng lì ， qí jīng jì dì wèi lüè yǔ nóng cūn zhōng de pín nóng xiāng dāng ．
The small handicraftspeople are called semi-proletarians because, though they own some simple means of production and moreover are self-employed, they too are often forced to sell part of their labour power and are somewhat similar to the poor peasants in economic status.