Press conference on progress of people's well-being over past 70 years
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E-mail China.org.cn, September 27, 2019
Zhang Jinan:
Ladies and gentlemen, friends from the media, I would like to express my gratitude to all of you for your long-time concern and support for our work.
Employment is pivotal to people's well-being and social security provides a safety net for people. The CPC and the government have always attached great importance to employment and social security. In particular, since the 18th National Congress of the CPC, the CPC Central Committee with Comrade Xi Jinping at its core has prioritized employment in economic and social development, and considered the building of the social security system an important means to achieve common prosperity. A series of important policy decisions have been made, bringing about remarkable achievements.
China's employment has long remained stable, as such we have achieved fuller employment.
First, the scale of employment has been continually expanding. The number of employees increased from 180 million in 1949 to 780 million in 2018, an increase of 3.3 times. Between 1949 and 2018, China's population saw an increase of 160%. For six consecutive years, China has added over 13 million urban jobs annually. The number of newly created urban jobs every year is close to the total number of urban jobs in 1949, which stood at 15 million.
Second, the employment structure has been improving. The employment structure in urban and rural areas has seen historic transformation. In 1949, urban jobs only accounted for 8.5% of all jobs in China, while the proportion of urban employment hit 56% in 2018. Employees in tertiary industries accounted for 9.1% of the total employed workforce in 1952, in 2018, the proportion rose to 46.3%.
Third, the quality of employment has been improving. The vocational skills of employees have significantly increased and the number of professionals with specialized technical skills has grown. The incomes of employees have been rising and their rights and interests have been better protected.
With regard to social security, China has basically established a social security system that covers both urban and rural residents.
First, the number of people covered by the system is growing. In 1951, the number of workers with labor insurance was 2.69 million, and now the basic old-age insurance covers more than 950 million people. There are more than 200 million people with unemployment and work-related injuries insurance, covering most of the job categories.
Second, the social security capacity has been continuously enhanced. The social security fund is expanding, with the cumulative balance of the three insurance funds for pension, unemployment and work-related injuries totaling 6.8 trillion yuan.
Third, the quality of social security has been continuously improved. Basic old-age pensions have continued to increase, and compensation for unemployment and work-related injuries have increased steadily. In just a few decades, our country has basically established the largest social security safety net in the world. In 2016, the International Social Security Association (ISSA) awarded the Chinese government the Award for Outstanding Achievements in Social Security.
In the future, under the guidance of Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era, we will stick to the people-centered development philosophy, and strive to achieve fuller employment and create higher quality jobs. We will establish a fairer and more sustainable social security system, so that the fruits of reform and development can be shared by all people in a fairer way. Thanks.
Xi Yanchun:
Thank you, Mr. Zhang Jinan. I will give the floor to Mr. Wang Menghui.
