Employment has a vital bearing on people's livelihoods. It is the fundamental prerequisite and basic approach for people to improve their lives.

China has a population of nearly 1.3 billion, and is the most populous country in the world. To solve the employment issue in China is a strenuous, arduous and pressing task.

In view of the fundamental interests of its people, the Chinese government recognizes the importance of the issue of employment. Based on the Constitution of the People's Republic of China, the Labor Law of the People's Republic of China, and other laws and regulations, the Chinese government has protected the workers' right to employment, and adopted various policies and measures to promote employment actively and steadily meet their needs for employment.

The Chinese government has explored and drawn on international experiences and adapted them for use in the domestic situation, formulating and implementing a number of proactive employment policies Currently, China has established a market-oriented employment mechanism; largely solved the problem of surplus enterprise personnel arising over the years under the planned economy; and, in the course of economic development and economic restructuring, expanded the employment scope continuously. As a result, the employment structure has gradually been optimized; the avenues for employment have been steadily broadened; the forms of employment have become more flexible and the employment situation has been maintained basically stable.

On the principles of mutual respect, equality and mutual benefit, the Chinese government has actively participated in international labor-related affairs. China has ratified the Convention on the Minimum Age for Admission to Employment, the Convention on Prohibition and Immediate Action for the Elimination of the Worst Forms of Child Labor, the Convention Concerning Equal Remuneration for Men and Women Workers for Work of Equal Value, the Employment Policy Convention, and other international labor-related conventions. In the field of labor and employment, China has carried out remarkably effective exchanges and cooperation with the International Labor Organization, the United Nations Development Program, the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank, and a number of other international organizations and many countries.