Companies move to support bigger families

Some companies in China are preparing to roll out additional welfare for employees who give birth to a second child, following the central government's announcement last week of a policy revision universally allowing two children.

The benefits include flexible working hours, extra holidays, medical insurance for the two children and interest-free loans from the company to alleviate the parents' economic burden.

Online travel agency Ctrip.com International has introduced a maximum of 400,000 yuan ($63,000) of interest-free loans to staff who have worked for the company two years or more.