Migrant peasant workers will be covered by unemployment policies for urban residents, said Zhang Xiaojian, Vice Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, as he met with three peasant worker deputies to the National People's Congress (NPC).

On March 3, Hu Xiaoyan, Kang Houming and Zhu Xueqin, three peasant worker NPC deputies, had a face-to-face meeting with Zhang Xiaojian, during which the deputies questioned the vice minister about pressing issues like the employment bottleneck facing returning migrant workers, transfer of social security insurance, and employment training.

In his response, Zhang Xiaojian said the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security would direct more attention to returning peasant workers, and plans to include them in policies for which previously only urban unemployed were eligible.

10 percent unemployment

Over the past year, more than 10 percent of the country's 200 million peasant workers have lost their jobs in the face of the global financial crisis. Kang Houming, who comes from southwestern Chongqing Municipality, said he had carried out a field survey in a number of villages and found that in one labor-exporting village, 20-30 of the previously employed population of 100 people had lost their jobs in coastal cities.

"I am a construction worker, and in my profession there are still many job vacancies. But those who have just returned home don't have construction skills and they are unlikely to fill that gap." Kang Houming said, "I hope the authorities can help them more with employment training."

Peasant workers to be protected by favorable policies

The vice minister replied by saying that the ministry is currently arranging large-scale employment training for peasant workers and will include returned migrant workers among those eligible for favorable employment policies. The ministry is also considering appointing industry-specific trainers and issuing free training coupons to assist with re-employment of migrants.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Finance are reported to have issued a joint document – Memo on implementation of Special Vocational Training – requiring local governments to arrange employment-oriented training for returned migrant workers and those who are still looking for jobs in neighboring towns, while issuing them with allowances. Some labor-exporting and importing provinces have already allocated special funds to finance these training programs.

Social security insurance transfer arrangements

The three deputies also highlighted the problem of transferring social security insurance. Kang Houming noted that some of his fellow migrant workers are unable to cash in their social security insurance in their hometowns, while some other cities allow migrant workers to quit their insurance policy and at best recover only their personal contributions to their funds.

In response, Zhang Xiaojian said that the transfer of social security insurance is a key issue that will be solved this year, and that a breakthrough can be expected soon.

In addition, with reference to the issue of breakdowns in the flow of employment information, also raised by the three deputies, Zhang Xiaojian replied that his ministry had now required local offices to create a broader and better docking platform between labor-exporting provinces and those that receive the migrant workers.

(China.org.cn by Maverick Chen, March 5, 2009)