Cover News:

What are the highlights and achievements in employment and entrepreneurship of veterans? And what are the next arrangements in promoting high-quality and stable employment for them? Thank you.

Ma Feixiong:

Thank you for your questions. As we know, employment is the cornerstone of people's well-being. The issue that you are concerned about is also a concern of veterans, and the focus of the MVA. As such, when the MVA was established, the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship was specially set up. Now, I'd like to invite Mr. Yu Jingsen, director general of the Department of Employment and Entrepreneurship, to answer your questions.

Yu Jingsen:

First of all, I would like to thank all media reporters, especially all of you here, for your concern and care for the employment and entrepreneurship work of veterans. I will answer your questions from the following three aspects.

The first is to establish and improve a sound policy support system centering on serving key national development strategies. We have worked with other relevant departments and issued a series of policy documents to guide veterans to work for rural revitalization, in economic development zones and contribute to the development of private enterprises. So far, more than 400,000 veterans have returned to their hometowns and set up businesses, with some of them even becoming entrepreneurial “leaders” in getting rich.

The second is to directly provide high-quality job opportunities to maintain a stable economy and employment, and meet basic living needs. Firstly, we cooperated with enterprises. Veterans affairs departments at all levels signed contracts with 13,000 enterprises, provided more than 1 million jobs, and helped around 300,000 people find employment. Secondly, we cooperated with all sectors of society to guide veterans to find employment in suitable fields and key industries, in positions such as primary and secondary school teachers, police officers and auxiliary police officers. In addition, 3,000 to 4,000 of them are recruited in emergency management and fire and rescue services and more than 3,000 veterans are hired as shipping seamen each year. The scale of recruitment has also been increased, and more than 20,000 job fairs have been held in various regions, providing 12 million jobs and helping 2.26 million veterans get employment.

The third is to create a favorable environment to support job creation through business startups. We will guide veterans to make good use of existing policies, and support and promote the development of enterprises that are run by veterans and create more jobs. To date, more than 3 million self-employed individuals and enterprises have created more than 4 million jobs for veterans. The national-level Veterans Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition saw the participation of more than 50,000 veterans with 13,000 high-quality startup projects. In addition, every year in the People's Daily, we publish the Honor Roll of Employment Cooperation Enterprises and the Honor Roll of Entrepreneurship That Creates Jobs. With the joint efforts and support of society, an atmosphere in which agencies, enterprises and institutions at all levels across the country give priority to the employment of veterans under the same conditions has taken shape.

Next, we will further improve the empowerment level of education and training programs for veterans, and fill the policy gap to support veterans in entrepreneurship and innovation and step up effective measures for self-employed individuals and employment assistance. We will continue to strengthen cooperation between industries and enterprises and encourage recruitment activities. We will also give full support to the development of enterprises run by veterans and broaden employment channels.

That's all from me. Thank you.