11.86 million new jobs were created in urban areas throughout the year, exceeding the target of 9 million people
The overall employment situation in China remains stable (Rui Finance)
Our reporter Li Jie
"People's Daily Overseas Edition" (Version 03 on January 29, 2021)
11.86 million new jobs were created in urban areas throughout the year, and the urban unemployment rate surveyed in December was 5.2%—two figures, which outline China's hard-earned employment in 2020.
In 2020, under the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic, employment is facing tremendous pressure, but in the unprecedented action to ensure employment and stable employment, with the hard work of all workers, China has withstood the severe test of the epidemic, and the employment situation has gradually stabilized. it is good.
Seasonal improvement, better than expected
"2020 is an extremely extraordinary year in the history of employment development in our country." Speaking of the year 2020 that has just passed, Zhang Ying, Director of the Employment Promotion Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at the press conference of the fourth quarter of 2020 held by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. Said.
Looking back this year, the test of employment has not been small.
Under the impact of the new crown pneumonia epidemic at the beginning of last year, economic activities were restricted, and many companies stopped working and production, and the job market was significantly affected.
In February, the surveyed unemployment rate in cities and towns nationwide rose to a year-on-year high of 6.2%, 0.9 percentage points higher than in January and the same period in 2019.
The situation is grim, and securing and stabilizing employment have become the top priorities of the economy.
As the epidemic prevention and control achieved positive results, the resumption of work and production and the market continued to advance, employment positions gradually recovered, and urban employment continued to grow.
The urban surveyed unemployment rate fell to 5.7% in June, and the year-on-year increase narrowed to 0.6 percentage point.
In the second half of the year, the order of social production and life has been further restored, industrial production has recovered steadily, service industries that have been hit harder have continued to improve, and the demand for labor has continued to increase.
The unemployment rate fell to 5.4% in September. In the fourth quarter, the employment situation further stabilized and improved.
By the end of the year, China’s employment submitted an answer sheet: 11.86 million new jobs were created in urban areas throughout the year, exceeding the target of 9 million; the unemployment rate fell to 5.2% in December, the same as the same period in 2019.
Looking at key groups, the employment situation of college graduates is basically stable, the scale of migrant workers' going out has basically returned to the same period of the previous year, and the number of poor laborers nationwide is 32.43 million, exceeding the level of the previous year.
"Comprehensive statistical monitoring and research shows that the employment situation in 2020 is improving quarter by quarter, and the overall situation is stable and better than expected." Zhang Ying said.
Responding to shocks with unprecedented strength
From the shock and heavy pressure at the beginning of the year, the overall employment situation remained stable at the end of the year. Behind this, policy support and intensive actions by various regions and departments are inseparable.
"Respond to unprecedented shocks with unprecedented intensity, and go all out to stabilize employment and ensure employment," Zhang Ying described.
——Strong policy hedging.
Faced with the complex employment situation, all localities should make every effort to promote employment, and the methods for job creation can be exhausted.
Under the policy combination of "burden reduction, job stabilization, and employment expansion", the three social insurances for corporate pensions, unemployment, and work-related injuries in the whole year reduced the burden of enterprises and individuals by 1.54 trillion yuan, issued unemployment insurance and returned 104.2 billion yuan to stabilize jobs, and spent employment. 100 billion yuan in subsidies and special awards.
-Work together to help the poor through employment.
In order to ensure the export of labor services, special car charter flights were opened during the epidemic period to help poor laborers realize "going out of home, getting in the car, and entering the factory", transporting a total of 1.6 million poor laborers.
For poor laborers with a strong willingness to return to their hometowns, the nearest local employment channels will be expanded through poverty alleviation workshops, work-for-work projects, and rural public welfare jobs.
In the whole year, a total of 440,000 people were employed through poverty alleviation workshops, and 5.02 million people were placed through public welfare positions.
——Intensify entrepreneurship and innovation.
Cancel administrative fees related to flexible employment, support self-employment, promote the healthy development of multi-channel flexible employment, such as part-time employment and platform employment... Under the epidemic, the pace of reform of "decentralization, management and service" has accelerated, allowing entrepreneurship and innovation to drive employment potential freed.
Under difficult conditions, around 25 million new market entities will be established throughout 2020, achieving substantial growth against the trend.
There are also batches of new occupations appearing one after another, and new forms of employment such as shared employment and sideline innovation are emerging one after another, which not only opens up new employment opportunities, but also continues to inject vitality into the job market.
Good momentum is expected to continue
Mechanical manufacturing engineering technicians, electricians, automobile production line operators, accounting professionals, elderly care workers... At present, these professions are short of people!
On January 26, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released the ranking of the 100 "most job shortages" in the fourth quarter of 2020 in which recruitment is greater than job search.
Among these 100 occupations, 36 belong to manufacturing and related personnel, and 36 belong to social production service and life service personnel.
"Compared with the third quarter, the number of recruitment needs in this period has increased significantly from the previous quarter, showing that the demand for manufacturing talents continues to maintain a strong momentum, and the demand for social management and social services has increased." Lu Aihong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security Say.
Not long ago, the "China Employment Market Prosperity Report" jointly issued by the China Employment Research Institute of Renmin University of China and Zhaolian Recruitment also showed that China's employment market continued to pick up in the fourth quarter of 2020.
Will this positive trend continue this year?
"The changes in the epidemic in 2021 and the external environment are still facing uncertainty, but with the support of a solid economic foundation and adequate policy tools, the national economy will further steadily recover, and the employment situation is expected to remain generally stable." Population and Employment Statistics of the National Bureau of Statistics Director Zhang Yi said.
Zhang Ying pointed out that the domestic and international environment has undergone profound changes, the supply of labor is still high, structural contradictions have become more prominent, and the employment situation is facing many uncertainties.
"We will thoroughly implement the employment priority policy, highlight the protection of the employment rights of key groups, provide excellent services, strengthen training, prevent risks, and cover the bottom line, strive to ensure the completion of employment goals and tasks, and strive to ensure the overall stability of the employment situation."