China Promulgates Blueprint on Labor and Social Security

China's development plan for labor and social security work during the tenth five-year plan period (2001-2005) has been completed, a labor and social security official told Xinhua on Friday.

According to the blueprint, in the coming five years China will set up a market-oriented employment mechanism to improve the quality of labor and introduce an independent social security system into the whole society.

The plan said that during the five-year period, cities and towns across the country will create 40 million new job opportunities, attracting as many rural residents to into cities and towns.

During the period China's urban registered unemployment rate will be controlled at around 5 percent, the plan said, and at the end of the year 2005, the ratio of the number of people engaged in primary, manufacturing and service industries will be changed from the current 50:22.5:27.5 to 44:23:33.

Those new graduates from junior and senior high schools, if not enrolled in higher education institutions or colleges, will all be able to receive a one to three year occupation training by the end of the period, according to the plan.

Also during the period, the state will launch a big re- employment training program to train as many as 10 million laid- off workers.

According to the plan, by the end of the year 2005, all labor and work units should be covered by basic endowment insurance, unemployment insurance and medical insurance.

During the period, the average annual wages increase rate will be around 5 percent.






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