BEIJING, July 29 (Xinhua) -- The State Council on Wednesday stressed efforts to further open up and keep foreign trade and investment stable, as well as to facilitate employment and ensure people's livelihood amid epidemic control.

It decided to expand the pilot program on the innovative development of trade in services, and unveil new measures to help migrant workers find jobs or start businesses, according to a statement released after a State Council executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang.

To promote a higher level of opening-up, the pilot program on the innovative development of trade in services will be expanded to cover parts of 21 provincial regions, and explore widening the field of opening-up and improving trade facilitation, the statement said.

Meanwhile, the meeting urged efforts to enhance foreign trade firms' capabilities to withstand risks, encourage the central, western and northeastern regions to take over labor-intensive foreign trade industries, and improve the policy environment to attract foreign investment.

Work will be done to stabilize the employment of migrant workers in urban areas, while supporting them to find jobs in or near their hometowns, such as promoting projects for new urbanization, rural water conservancies, and post-disaster reconstruction in townships to create more jobs.

Migrant workers will receive better financial support to start their own businesses, while poor laborers will enjoy further protection such as temporary allowances, it said.

The meeting also called for efforts to boost COVID-19 virus testing capabilities, which was regarded as a key method in coordinating epidemic control and economic and social development.