Farmers' Daily: 

China has nearly 300 million off-farm workers. What measures will be taken to promote their employment? Thank you.

Li Zhong: 

Off-farm workers are a key focus in employment. I'll let Mr. Song answer this question.

Song Xin: 

Thank you for your question. Promoting employment and income for off-farm workers is crucial. In recent years, the human resources and social security authorities have emphasized both out-of-town work and local employment to stabilize employment for off-farm workers and those who have escaped poverty. Currently, there are about 300 million off-farm workers nationwide, including 190 million working outside their hometowns and over 30 million formerly impoverished individuals. Moving forward, we'll actively promote coordinated urban-rural employment and further improve the support system for off-farm worker employment, focusing on four areas:

First, we'll enhance the mechanism for out-of-town work to ensure workers can relocate and maintain stable jobs. We'll improve labor cooperation mechanisms to provide comprehensive services, including job collection, precise matching and efficient placement. We'll also enhance job stabilization services by leveraging off-farm worker service stations in destination areas to achieve stable local employment. Additionally, we're cultivating more distinctive skilled labor brands to help more off-farm workers achieve skill-based employment. Currently, nearly 500 unique skilled labor brands have formed nationwide, with some brands facilitating employment and entrepreneurship for over 1 million people.

Second, we will expand local employment channels to ensure job opportunities and income growth. Currently, finding jobs close to home has become a new choice for an increasing number of migrant workers. We will explore new employment opportunities amid the country's efforts to support the implementation of major national strategies, build up security capacity in key areas, drive large-scale equipment upgrades and promote trade-in programs for consumer goods. In addition, while advancing new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, we will make efforts to enhance employment capacity at the county level. At the same time, we will give full play to the role of employment service stations and gig markets, so as to create more service platforms where enterprises can hire workers nearby and people can find jobs close to home.

Third, we will encourage people to return to their hometowns to start businesses and increase their incomes, so as to boost motivation and vitality. For migrant workers interested in returning to their hometowns to start businesses, we will provide entrepreneurial services and follow up the implementation of supportive policies. Currently, we are conducting a campaign to promote entrepreneurship, with efforts focused on offering policy implementation, information exchange, and resource matchmaking services to those who are returning or moving to the countryside to start businesses.

Fourth, we will enhance efforts to prioritize employment support, helping those most in need and preventing risks. We will always prioritize employment assistance for those lifted out of poverty, and continue to implement actions to prevent them from returning to poverty. This involves the "four priorities," namely: prioritizing outbound employment, prioritizing enterprise recruitment, prioritizing job stability, and prioritizing efforts to help those most in need. Thank you.