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China promised to spare no effort to reach the projected targets
for creating over 8 million new jobs for urban residents, in a bid
to confine its registered urban unemployment rate to 4.5 percent in
2003.
This was announced Thursday by Zeng Peiyan, minister in charge of
the State Development Planning Commission, when delivering the
planning report to the first session of the 10th National People's
Congress.
The registered urban unemployment rate for 2002 was 4 percent,
according to official statistics.
Efforts to bring the unemployment rate under control and increase
over 8 million jobs should be incorporated into the plans of
governments at all levels for economic and social development,
according to his report.
"Development of the service sector will be the main source of new
employment and reemployment. In particular, we must make full use
of the important roles of individually and privately run businesses
and of small and medium-sized enterprises in increasing
employment," the minister said.
Great efforts should be made to create jobs in urban communities.
The labor market needs to be standardized and further developed.
Unemployed people are encouraged and supported to seek jobs on
their own and to start their own businesses.
The social security system will be improved. "We will further
consolidate the system of guaranteeing that the basic living
allowances for workers laid off from state-owned enterprises and
the basic pensions for retirees are paid on time and in full," the
economic planner stressed.
He
added that the implementation of the three programs for ensuring
basic living allowances for workers laid off from state-owned
enterprises, for improving unemployment insurance and for
guaranteeing a minimum subsistence level for needy urban residents
should be well coordinated.
(Xinhua News Agency March 6, 2003)
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