China is rolling out a package of policies to stabilize employment as the country’s epidemic prevention and control efforts enter a crucial phase.

The plenary meetings of China’s State Council held on Feb. 11, 18 and 25 drew up detailed plans on employment, encouraging enterprises to recruit more college graduates and members of the rural workforce.

Relevant departments and local governments also offered concrete measures to stabilize employment. For instance, Guangdong has put forward nine solutions to boost employment, and Jiangxi is launching a special campaign to ensure people can get back to work.

On Feb. 20, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the Ministry of Finance and the State Taxation Administration jointly decided to waive some businesses’ contributions to social insurance plans, and requested that provinces report detailed implementation plans by March 5.

It is reported that over 300 million yuan in subsidies will be offered to micro, small and medium enterprises to stabilize the employment situation, and another 700 million yuan will be allocated soon, benefiting 3.2 million employees.

You Jun, vice minister of Human Resources and Social Security said at a press conference on Feb. 28 that more than 800,000 migrant workers have been sent back to their posts through "point-to-point" transportation using chartered bus, plane and train.

Migrant workers make up the majority of China’s industrial workers. In 2019, their total population reached 290 million, of whom 170 million worked outside their hometowns, and 75 million worked outside their home provinces.

Stabilizing the employment situation for college students also remains a priority for authorities. “The number of college graduates will hit 8.7 million this year, which will put huge pressure on the job market along with the unemployed students who graduated in previous years,” said You, adding that the ministry will work to expand employment channels for college graduates, encourage online hiring activities and offer more internships to help students find jobs.

So far, the Ministry of Education has held 12 large-scale recruitment activities for 2020 college graduates, and preparations are underway for 18 more, said Weng Tiehui, vice minister of education, at the press conference. According to her, the ministry has been launching online recruitment services for college graduates since Feb. 28, with at least 800,000 jobs offered in the first batch.