Li: Keeping employment stable is key

Premier says 'multipronged measures' needed in boosting job opportunities

China is ready to take robust and multipronged measures, such as scaling up support for flexible employment and boosting job opportunities for people with disabilities, to ensure that employment remains stable.

A host of steps were decided upon at the State Council's executive meeting on Wednesday chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

"We will face even greater risks and challenges next year. We must give higher priority to keeping employment stable as this is the key in ensuring that our economy does not slide out of the proper range," Li said.

It was emphasized at the Wednesday meeting that local governments must fully recognize the significance of stable employment. They are required to introduce more measures that support job creation, and promptly repeal unwarranted regulations that hinder flexible employment. More efforts will be made to catalyze business start-ups and innovation. The terms of guaranteed loans to micro and small start-ups will be eased. Jobs for the public good will be expanded in areas of weakness related to people's lives.

The government will intensify support to businesses to keep their payrolls stable. The current policy of lowering the premiums of unemployment insurance and workplace injury compensation insurance will continue for another year.

"We must take multi-pronged steps to keep existing jobs and add new ones, and introduce measures that boost job creation as quickly as possible. This year, thanks to the reform in transforming government functions and our mass entrepreneurship initiative, an average of nearly 20,000 businesses are newly registered every day. This has greatly eased the employment pressure," Li said.

The meeting required that the vocational upskilling program be fully implemented and vocational training for essential skills be enhanced. The employment safety net will be strengthened to help unemployed people living in difficulty meet their essential needs.

"Employment is essential to people's well-being. It is the wellspring of wealth and the foundation of social stability. Nothing big will go wrong next year if we keep employment stable," he said.

The Disabled Persons' Employment Security Fund will be better leveraged to boost employment for disabled people.

Meeting attendees also adopted the draft of a new regulation to ensure wages for migrant workers to resolve the problem of wage arrears they often face. Wages of such workers must be paid in full and on time. A blacklist of employers who delay paying migrant workers will be set up.

"We must ensure that the essential needs of unemployed people are met, and fully protect the rights of people with disabilities and migrant workers," Premier Li said.