Multiple channels needed to keep job market healthy

The Chinese government has accorded priority to achieving stable and expanding employment among its six stabilization tasks. The importance of stable employment has also been highlighted in this year's Government Work Report. And the State Council, China's Cabinet, recently established the Employment Work Leading Group headed by Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua to deal with employment issues.

The government is making special efforts to stabilize and expand employment, especially because of the intensifying Sino-US trade dispute and the increasing uncertainties in international trade.

The China Institute for Employment Research of Renmin University of China has calculated the employment market index, which shows the health of the employment market, based on big data of online recruitment this year was 1.68, down from 1.91 in the first quarter of 2018. Although the figure was above 1, the balance line, it was the first decline since the beginning of 2018.