In the first nine months of 2006 a total of 9.32 million urban
Chinese found employment. This figure is well ahead of the 9
million target for the entire year, according to the Ministry of
Labor and Social Security Thursday.
The sign on the right
of this picture reads,"Look for Work".
This is the first time in recent years that China has met its
yearly target three months ahead of schedule. Government support
and guidance were key factors in the achievement, said Zhou
Tianyong, deputy director of the Research Office of the Party
School of the CPC Central Committee.
Approximately 3.92 million of those finding new jobs were
laid-off workers and another 990,000 belong to the "40-50 group"
used to describe men aged 50 or over and women above 40. The rest
are graduates from vocational schools and institutions of higher
learning, migrant rural laborers and various other groups.
The ministry said there were still 8.35 million urban residents
on the dole. The official unemployment rate is 4.1 percent which is
down 0.1 percent from the first half of the year. With an estimated
10 million urban Chinese joining the labor force each year and 14
million laid-off workers hunting for jobs the country faces
significant employment pressure.
To encourage enterprises to employ laid-off workers the central
government will provide 25.1 billion yuan (US$3.1 billion) of
subsidies this year. This is 4.2 billion yuan more than 2005. China
has made "a relatively high employment rate" a major goal in
building a harmonious society by 2020.
A source with the Ministry said they'd now focus on improving
re-employment especially in the less developed central and western
areas and the old industrial bases where there are big pools
of? laid off workers from bankrupt firms or enterprises which
have closed.
The government will also implement policies aimed at encouraging
college graduates to find jobs in the remote west and in
grass-roots units or to start their own business.
Official data indicates more than 9 million urban Chinese
secured work in each of the past few years but that the country's
average 10 percent economic growth over the past two decades was no
longer able to mop up surplus labor.
"The economic boom is no longer providing as much employment,"
said Mo Rong, deputy chief of the labor science research institute
under the Ministry.
He said a lot of China's roaring investment failed to create
many jobs. The country needed to develop the service sector and
promote small and medium sized enterprises which could create more
employment, said Mo.
(China.org.cn, Xinhua News Agency October 27, 2006)
