Jiemian News:

Employment is pivotal to people's well-being as it concerns the lives of every household. What has the general employment situation been like since the 18th National Congress of the CPC? What kinds of measures will be taken to achieve fuller and higher-quality employment? Thank you. 

Li Zhong:

I just mentioned that the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has highly valued employment since the 18th CPC National Congress and made it a top priority to ensure stability on six key fronts and security in six key areas. The employment-first policy has been strengthened, and historic achievements have been made in the past decade. The overall employment situation has been stable over the years, and our country, with a population of over 1.4 billion, has achieved relatively full employment. 

First, urban employment has continued to increase. More than 13 million urban jobs have been created annually, with the accumulative number in the decade reaching 130 million. The surveyed unemployment rate is generally lower than the expected control target. 

Second, the employment structure has been optimized. Historic changes have taken place in urban and rural employment structures. In 2021, 62.7% of employed people worked in urban areas. The tertiary industry has become the most significant job provider, and the inverted pyramid employment structure has gradually developed.

Third, the quality of employment has steadily improved. Salaries have increased, with employees' wages in urban entities in 2021 doubling those in 2012. Social insurance coverage has been expanded, and the rights and interests of workers in flexible employment have been further protected.

Fourth, the employment for key groups has been stable. Over the past decade, the overall employment of more than 80 million college graduates has remained steady. The total number of migrant workers has risen to 290 million, and the number of workers lifted out of poverty has remained above 30 million. Appropriate arrangements have been made for workers displaced due to overcapacity cuts and fishermen relinquishing their nets due to the fishing ban. Moreover, the employment of people unemployed or having difficulty finding jobs has been kept stable, not only serving and safeguarding reform and development but also ensuring that people's basic living needs are met.

Fifth, the supporting system has been steadily improved. The employment-first policy has been implemented innovatively and elevated to the status of a macro policy. The policy tools for reducing businesses' burdens and stabilizing and expanding employment have been enriched and improved. The lifelong vocational skills training system was initially set up, and the total number of skilled workers has increased to more than 200 million. The comprehensive public employment service system has been improved, providing employment and business startup services and support for tens of millions of employers and workers every year.

With the joint efforts of all parties, China's employment has maintained long-term stability, providing solid support for better livelihoods, economic development, and social harmony and stability. At the same time, as a developing country with the world's largest population, China has been facing long-standing pressure on aggregate job creation, more pronounced structural problems, and mounting instability and uncertainties. Therefore, employment still faces significant challenges.  

Next, we will firmly implement the decisions and plans of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, put into practice the people-centered development philosophy, continue strengthening the employment-first policy, and strive to achieve higher-quality and fuller employment. Specifically, we will give our priorities to "five focuses." First, we will focus on stabilizing and expanding employment. We will take employment as the priority in economic and social development, create synergy to stabilize employment through the coordinated use of fiscal, monetary, and industry policies, and support market entities to stabilize and expand employment. Second, we will focus on leveraging the role of business startups in boosting employment. We will keep optimizing the environment for innovation and entrepreneurship, provide more assistance to startups, improve employment and social insurance policies, and support the healthy development of flexible employment. Third, we will focus on ensuring employment for key groups. We will focus on key groups such as college graduates, migrant workers, and people having difficulty finding jobs. We will offer help according to defined categories, take targeted measures, and build a diversified assistance system. Fourth, we will focus on enhancing the quality of employment training services. We will improve the employment and unemployment service management system, launch large-scale vocational skills training, and make training services more targeted and effective. Fifth, we will focus on protecting workers' legitimate rights and interests. We will carry out demonstration programs to ensure harmonious labor relations, consolidate our gains in eradicating wage arrears, strengthen regulation on human resource markets, and create a sound employment environment. Thank you.