21st Century Business Herald:

I would like to ask, how do you view China's performance in achieving its 2022 employment goals? With the number of college graduates expected to hit a new record high in 2023, how will you better achieve the goal of stable employment? Thank you.

Kang Yi:

Employment has always been a topic concerning everyone. In 2022, due to the resurgence of the pandemic, small and medium-sized enterprises have been faced with increasing operating difficulties. It has also become difficult for key groups to find jobs, especially among the youth, where there are rising unemployment rates, which has brought challenges to realizing stable employment. Employment matters most in people's lives. The CPC Central Committee and the State Council have attached great importance to this issue and introduced a series of effective measures to stabilize employment. All localities and government departments have adhered to the principle of giving priority to employment, intensified the effect generated by the policy of stabilizing and expanding employment, taken measures to ensure employment for key groups, made every effort to stabilize employment, and safeguarded the bottom line of preventing large-scale unemployment. It has demonstrated the following characteristics.

First, the employment situation is generally stable. China created 12.06 million new urban jobs, exceeding its target of 11 million set at the start of the year. Due to the spread of the pandemic, the surveyed urban unemployment rate rose temporarily in particular months, reaching 6.1% at its peak. However, for the year overall, the unemployment rate remained basically stable. Notably, the employment situation has improved recently as the package of policies to stabilize the economy, and subsequent policies, have taken effect. The surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.5% in December, dropping by 0.2 percentage points from November.

Second, effective measures have been taken to ensure the employment of key groups. A series of policies targeted toward helping enterprises create jobs and keep their employees have been adopted, which are helpful in facilitating college graduates and migrant workers to find jobs. In December, the surveyed urban jobless rate for the people holding junior college degrees or above between the ages of 20 and 24 was 21.1%, falling by 0.2 percentage points from November, the fifth consecutive month that the rate has decreased. The drop in urban joblessness for those between the ages of 16 and 24 was even more significant. Meanwhile, the surveyed unemployment rate for rural migrant workers was 5.4%, a drop of 0.6 percentage points from the previous month. The number of migrant workers reached 295.62 million in 2022, an increase of 3.11 million from 2021, surpassing 2019's pre-COVID levels. Moreover, over 32 million laborers who have been lifted out of poverty found employment, and rural and urban people facing difficulties also found jobs.

Generally speaking, the overall employment situation remained stable in 2022. The surveyed urban jobless rate increased slightly compared with 2021 levels, which was due to multiple unexpected factors at home and abroad. Going forward, the pressure on the job market remains, with more than 11.5 million college students expected to graduate this year and ongoing prominent structural problems. However, the overall employment situation is expected to improve in 2023 as the economy recovers, which will lead to expanded demand for employment and more jobs becoming available. First, thanks to optimized COVID-19 containment measures, people's lives are getting back to normal, and enterprises will gradually resume work and production, promoting employment demand. Second, service sectors, ranging from accommodation and catering to tourism, will recover as public transport, logistics, and travel rebound. Service sectors have a large capacity for employment, so more job opportunities will be created in the rebound and development of these sectors. Third, governments and departments at all levels will continue to enhance pro-employment policies, implementing measures to ease the burden of enterprises, keep their employees, and create more jobs. Such stepped-up efforts will provide employment support for key groups, including college graduates, and ensure employment stability. Fourth, the rapid growth of the new drivers will continue to create more new jobs, which will serve as an important driver to expand employment and ensure high-quality employment. Thank you.