Changchun(ILO News)—On 15 October, the ILO and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China (MOHRSS) successfully co-organized Seminar on Employment-first Strategy and Sustainable Economic Recovery from COVID-19 Crisis in Changchun, Jilin province. The seminar was part of the agreement reached in the 10th Joint Review Committee Meeting on the Memorandum of Understanding between the ILO and MOHRSS on the establishment and implementation of a strategic partnership in 2019. This seminar aims to exchange insights on how to develop and implement pro-employment policies and promote a human-centred job-rich recovery among international and national experts. Over 40 experts and officials from ILO, MOHRSS, social partners, local governments, and advanced research institutions in China, France and Australia participated in the seminar.
In the opening remarks, the ILO Director-General Mr. Guy RYDER highlighted that promoting employment policies to build back better is underlined in the Global Call to Action for a Human-Centred Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis adopted at the International Labour Conference this year. In China, the 14th Five-year Plan of Employment Promotion was adopted also this year which puts employment at the top of the country’s macroeconomic policy agenda. Sharing the same mission and vision, the ILO and China will continue its long-standing good collaboration in the area of employment policies and beyond.

Vice Minister of MOHRSS Mr. Zhong LI also emphasized that employment is the most important aspect of people's livelihood. He introduced a series of policy measures to stabilize and promote employment in China to tackle the COVID-19 impact, including supporting small business, encouraging entrepreneurship, optimizing vocational training and assisting disadvantaged groups. Mr. LI stated that with joint efforts, the overall employment situation in China has remained stable in spite of the hit by the COVID-19 crisis. However, uncertainties and challenges still remain. He expected that ILO’s expertise and insights on employment policies can provide more global wisdom to enrich the national employment promotion. He believed that the seminar is also a concrete action taken by China’s tripartite constituents to respond to the Global Call to Action for a Human-Centred Recovery from the COVID-19 Crisis.

Four sessions of the seminar focused on: comparisons of employment-first policies between Chinese practices and international experience, pro-employment economic policies, human-centred and job-rich recovery from the COVID-19 crisis, and quality and quantity of employment in the economic transformation. Experts from Chinese research institutions, All-China Federation of Trade Unions, China Enterprise Confederation and Jilin provincial government representatives shared their research findings and thoughts on how to promote employment to address challenges posed by the pandemic and the on-going transformation in industry and technology. Scholars from Sciences Po (France) and Griffith University (Australia) illustrated case studies of the pro-employment macroeconomic policy framework in developed countries and emerging economies. ILO specialists on employment and labour standards respectively introduced the ILO global perspectives on employment strategies, national employment policies for an inclusive job-rich recovery from the COVID-19 crisis and the ILO’s approach on evaluating the quality of employment.

In future, the ILO and China will continue to join forces in good experience sharing in employment, collaboration in youth employment and public employment services.