The job to help with the housework in an urban household brings her a monthly income of 400 yuan (US$48). Working 20 hours a week, 42-year-old Wang said she is now "much happier".

Wang is one of the 54 laid-off women who have attended a free training course on housekeeping, passed a physical check-up and been qualified for helping working couples with chores, including cooking, cleaning and taking care of babies, the old and the sick.

Statistics show that the 100-odd employment agencies and labor markets under the Women's Federation has provided consultancy and training to over 40,000 job-hunters in recent years, and has helped over 10,000 laid-off women find jobs as cleaners, typists, sales women and nurses.

Some former laid-off workers have even found jobs in major cities including Beijing, Guangzhou and Shenzhen, thanks to the cooperative ties clinched between the Women's Federation and its counterparts nationwide.

As a new year is drawing near, the east China province is set to highlight the role of non-governmental bodies such as the Women's Federation in helping provide social security services and pushing ahead with the reemployment project among former laid-off workers.

In another development, the provincial capital of Hefei has invited full participation by the communities in this regard.

Starting from January, citizens in Hefei will be able to enjoy a wide range of social security services at their doorstep, as their communities and neighborhood committees will take up unemployment register, premium payment, dole and pension distribution, vocational training and employment services.

Interconnected by a comprehensive computer system, communities will play a major role in tracking the employment situation and living standards of the citizens, giving out aids and meeting the basic needs of the people, particularly the laid-offs and the unemployed.

(Xinhua News Agency December 24, 2001)