Guangzhou, the capital city of south China's Guangdong Province, will have in place a thorough social security system by late 2000 covering old-age pensions and insurance for on-the-job injuries, childbirth, and unemployment.

The past 12 years of reform has helped the city's social security system to evolve from simple workplace coverage to a comprehensive plan.

Statistics show that some 730,000 local residents in Guangzhou currently have old-age pension insurance, one million workers have unemployment insurance and 670,000 people have childbirth insurance.

Guangzhou recently introduced its labor and social security bureau as part of an effort to unify management of all areas of coverage. The existing social security system chiefly involves people with ties to the state-owned enterprises. Most workers in private enterprises are not as yet covered by the city's insurance offerings.

The Guangzhou city government has set a 2000-2001 goal for expanding coverage of social security system, and will place special emphasis on issuing detailed regulations governing employees from private enterprises.