News organizations at the National People's Congress Press Center on Thursday invited their readers to chat online with a group of officials from provincial reform and development commissions.
Xinhua reader: A large number of migrant workers are returning to cities after the Spring Festival (Chinese New Year), increasing pressure on the jobs market. Has the government taken any measures to help workers find jobs?
Li Miaojuan, director of Guangdong Provincial Reform and Development Commission: Around 92 percent of the migrant workers who left cities in Guangdong Province for the Spring Festival have returned so far.
Labor-intensive small and medium enterprises are the major employers of migrant workers in Guangdong. The government is reducing or remitting company taxation, and providing credit guarantees. Out of 303 billion yuan investment this year, a large proportion will be used to boost employment.
Although many firms have shut down because of the crisis, the number of new enterprises in Guangdong increased by 3.6 percent over 2008 as a whole.
China.org.cn reader: Jobs are being lost in cities while the countryside is crying out for skilled workers. Has the government taken any measures to encourage skilled and educated workers and to move to rural areas and grassroots organizations?
Zhang Yuanxin, director of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Regional Reform and Development Commission: The central government is paying close attention to this. In his report to National People's Congress, Premier Wen Jiabao proposed measures regarding the employment of graduates. I think the government will continue to take measures to encourage people with skills to work in remote areas and grassroots units. Local governments must also cooperate actively to attract staff. In Guangxi we have managed to attract large numbers of university graduates to work in township-level units and villages.
China Economic Net reader: Guangdong Province is a big importer of labor while Chongqing is a big exporter. How will the two giants cooperate in coping with the crisis?
Li Miaojuan: Guangdong Province has taken 16 measures to cope with the financial crisis, including measures aimed at stabilizing the employment market for both locals and migrant workers.
Guangdong was the first to feel the impact of the crisis and has been hit the hardest. But the macro-adjustment policies taken by the central and local governments are beginning to take effect.
Guangdong and Chongqing have always been friendly, cooperative partners. Faced with the crisis we will strengthen and expand our cooperation. One example is our assistance with vocational education to Wushan County in Chongqing.
Yang Qingyu, director of Chongqing Municipal Reform and Development Commission: The vocational educational training provided by Guangdong to Wushan County has provided Guangdong with skilled workers over the years. Now we are looking for ways to employ these workers at home, to relieve the employment pressure on Guangdong.
(China.org.cn by Li Jingrong, March 6, 2009)
