Promoting High-Quality and Full Employment Through Employment-First Policy

An article by the CPC Leadership Group of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on promoting high-quality and full employment was published in this year's 21st issue of Qiushi Journal.

The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have always put employment high on the agenda, given its foundational role in people's wellbeing.  

Since the 18th CPC National Congress in 2012, the Central Committee led by Xi Jinping has committed to prioritizing employment in national governance by ensuring Party leadership over employment-related work, and strengthening the employment-first strategy, policy and mechanisms.

Despite various pressures and challenges, these efforts have led to relatively full employment in a large developing country with a population of over 1.4 billion. This has provided an important underpinning for people's livelihoods and economic development.   

High-quality and full employment is of strategic and fundamental significance to Chinese modernization. Currently, China has embarked on a new journey toward national rejuvenation through Chinese modernization. In light of changing circumstances, demographic shifts, technological revolution, and evolving expectations of the people, there is an urgent need to boost high-quality and full employment.

At the macro level, high-quality and full employment entails sufficient employment opportunities, a fair employment environment, a sound employment structure, efficient person-job fit, and harmonious labor relations. At the micro level, it means stable jobs with a reasonable income, reliable social security and occupational safety.

Bearing the essence and practical requirements of high-quality and full employment in mind, we should take into consideration individual employees' concerns in macro-level policymaking, increase job opportunities while improving their quality, promote both an efficient market and an effective government, and do everything within our capacity.

To continuously enhance the quality of employment and expand its quantity within a reasonable range, we should move faster to establish a working system based on interdepartmental coordination, multilevel cooperation, targeted services, and effective management, and carry out the following key tasks in a steady and thorough manner.

It's imperative to adopt an employment-friendly development approach that prioritizes employment; tackle structural unemployment by elevating workforce competence; refine policies for providing employment support for key groups; build a more comprehensive public service system for employment which is universally beneficial and readily accessible; and reinforce the protection of laborers' rights and interests with stronger governance capacity. By doing so, we will be able to make new progress in the efforts to promote high-quality and full employment, thus adding impetus to Chinese modernization.

Editor: Zhang Xian