BEIJING: China has unveiled an 18-point action plan to stabilize employment and raise incomes, including measures designed to shield the labor market from external shocks such as trade wars and geopolitical tensions, according to a government document released recently.
The plan, titled “Action Plan for Stabilizing Employment, Expanding Capacity and Improving Quality”, was approved on April 30 by the State Council’s leading group on employment promotion.
“Employment is the most fundamental aspect of people’s livelihoods,” the document said. The action plan includes a dedicated section on supporting industries affected by the external environment to expand hiring, identifying them as a key source of job creation.
Authorities are instructed to extend unemployment insurance premium refunds, skills-training subsidies and job-expansion grants to sectors affected by global headwinds. The central government will also use major trade fairs such as the China Import and Export Fair to explore new markets while deepening cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative as an alternative to Western-dominated trade channels.
The plan explicitly calls for the creation of cross-border service jobs in research, design and inspection, reflecting shifts in offshore outsourcing. It also establishes a monitoring mechanism to track the impact of external shocks on hiring in key regions and industries, with contingency plans to enable rapid responses.
Beyond geopolitics, the plan relies on manufacturing and emerging technologies to generate employment opportunities.
Authorities will maintain a “reasonable share” of manufacturing jobs and promote orderly industrial transfers to central, western and northeastern China.
They will also launch an “Artificial Intelligence Plus” initiative to accelerate the digital transformation of factories, creating demand for data labelers and AI trainers.
New energy, advanced materials and low-altitude infrastructure projects are also identified as major sources of employment.
The plan calls for retraining programs to help workers in traditional industries adapt to the adoption of AI, with the aim of preventing job losses.
To reinforce a virtuous cycle of rising household incomes and domestic demand, the action plan seeks to boost consumption through cultural tourism venues linked to performing arts, sports, cuisine and winter activities.
Urban renewal and new infrastructure projects will also be used to create construction jobs, supported by a special employment loan program for the sector.
In social services, the plan expands eldercare and childcare capacity, including exploring a professional qualification system for providers of elderly care. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
