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Extra spending showcases govt's determination to curb unemployment
www.chinanews.cn 2005-03-05 14:57:39
(Source: Xinhuanet)
BEIJING, March 5 - Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao reiterated the government's
determination to curb urban unemployment Saturday by announcing 10.9
billion yuan (1.3 billionUS dollars) allocation to boost its ambitious
reemployment programfor laid-off workers this year.
The amount is 2.6 billion yuan (313 million US dollars) more than last
year, Wen said in the government work report to the third annual session
of the 10th National People's Congress that opened here Saturday.
The government plans to include for the first time workers laidoff from
collectively owned businesses into its reemployment program in 2005, he
said.
The program used to target only workers laid off from state firms. In
2004, it helped 5.1 million laid-off workers find new jobs, including 1.4
million people who are aged above 40 and are considered the least
advantaged group on the job market.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security has vowed to help another 5
million laid-off workers find jobs this year.
"We will continue to follow a proactive employment
policy...conscientiously implement all policies and measures to support
reemployment," said Wen, adding that local budgets will also increase
reemployment allocations.
The government's active pro-employment policy, along with the sound
economic performance, has, for the first time, brought down the country's
urban unemployment rate in 2004.
Last year, China's registered urban jobless rate stood at 4.2 percent,
down 0.1 percent from 2003, according to statistics provided by the
Ministry of Labor and Social Security. Prior to the hard-won 0.1 percent
drop, the curve had been climbing all along, from 2.9 percent in 1995 to
4.3 percent in 2003.
Yang Tuan, deputy director of the social policy research centerunder the
Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the drop in unemployment rate is
also a result of the successful restructuringof many state firms.
"The market-oriented reforms of state-owned enterprises have left a large
number of laid-offs beginning in 1996, posing an increasing pressure over
employment. Currently, most SOEs have finished reforms and are laying off
fewer workers," Yang said.
But still, many experts have warned the world's most populous nation is
still under pressure to create enough jobs for its huge workforce that
consists of urban residents as well as the increasing number of surplus
laborers from rural areas. A foreseeable population growth by eight to 10
million people in each of the following 20 years and the increasing
number of entrants into the job market are feared to toughen the
situation.
"We should view last year's drop in the jobless rate not just as a
'turning point,' but more a temporary phenomenon benefiting from the
rapid economic progress," said Yang Yiyong, deputy secretary-general of
the China Labor Society.
National Bureau of Statistics Director Li Deshui also considered it
difficult to conclude that China's unemployment ratewill continue to drop
due to numerous uncertain factors, such as the slowdown of economic
development, improvement of technology and population growth.
Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has said the government targets an 8-percent
GDP growth this year, gearing down its economy from the 9.5 percent
growth rate registered in 2004.
The Ministry of Labor and Social Security has locked the registered urban
unemployment rate for 2005 within 4.6 percent, a slight fall from the
original 2004 goal of 4.7 percent.
China has taken active policies to promote employment since 2002. Packed
with a series of preferential measures in taxes and loans, the policy
encourages businesses to hire laid-off workers and others less
competitive job-hunters. The measures also help the jobless to start
businesses of their own, say sources with theMinistry of Labor and Social
Security.
The governments at various levels also purchase the community services to
offer more jobs and to thrive flexible employment withno fixed work
schedules. Statistics show there are more than 100 million Chinese
engaged in flexible jobs now, about 40 percent of the total urban
employed population.
Last year, central China's Henan Province helped 583,600 laid-off
workers, a record high, to take up new occupations, at least 40 percent
of whom became self-employed, according to sources withthe provincial
bureau of labor and social security.
Jilin Province in the northeastern rustbelt plans to raise 80 million
yuan (9.6 million US dollars) this year to provide vocational training
and employment consulting services to laid-offworkers from state firms.
In his government work report to the provincial people's congress,
Governor Wang Min said the province aims to create 500,000 urban jobs
this year and help at least 300,000 laid-off workers become employed
again.
Prior to the ongoing annual parliament session, some NPC deputies
proposed that China should draft a law to guard job-hunters against
varied forms of employment discrimination to better protect the
legitimate rights of all its work-age population.
"Unreasonable bias against women and people with less preferable
education background is a big problem related to socialjustice," said
Wang Yuan'an, a deputy from Tai'an City in east China's Shandong Province.
Wang, who was a migrant rural worker, is now president of a school
providing training on computer skills. He cited a few examples of people
facing groundless difficulties in hunting for jobs due to their looks,
height and age barriers set by employers during an interview with Xinhua
on Thursday.
In central China's Hunan Province, 25-year-old Fan Siping failed with his
application to local civil service as he is 0.005 meters shorter than the
required height.
"A law on fair employment is in an urgent need in China," said Wang,
adding that he would very much like to submit a proposal in this regard
to the NPC session.
E-mail: zhangqinghua@chinanews.com.cn Tel: 8610-88387443 Fax:
8610-68327649
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