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The Chinese government has worked hard to care for people's
well-being, create more jobs and administer social security work
well, Premier Wen Jiabao said Friday in a report on the government
work delivered at the annual session of the national
legislature.
Last year, governments at all levels conscientiously implemented
a series of measures drawn up by the Communist Party of China
Central Committee and the State Council for increasing employment
and reemployment and increased their efforts, capital spending and
policy support in this regard.
"We consider it highly important to protect the vital interests
of the people and help them, especially the needy, in solving
problems in their work and daily lives," he said.
Last year, the central government allocated an additional 4.7
billion yuan of subsidies for job creation and increased employment
guidance and services for college graduates. By the end of last
year, 83 percent of the year's graduates from regular institutions
of higher learning had found jobs, 600,000 more than the previous
year.
To continued ensuring the "two guarantees" (guaranteeing that
the living allowances for workers laid off from state-owned
enterprises and that the pensions of retirees are paid on time and
in full) and the "three-stage guarantee" for laid-off workers, the
central government spent 70 billion yuan in 2003, 19.9 percent more
than the previous year; of this sum, subsidies for subsistence
allowances for the urban poor increased from 4.6 billion yuan in
2002 to 9.2 billion yuan in 2003. This allowed 22.35 million urban
residents throughout the country to receive such benefits.
In 2003, the central government began making annual allocations
of special funds to help local governments assist ex-servicemen who
are working in enterprises to solve their financial difficulties.
Benefits were again raised for disabled revolutionary servicemen
and other people who are entitled to special care by the
government.
(Xinhua News Agency March 5, 2004)
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