China sets plan for reducing unemployment in 2 years

    BEIJING, April 13 (Xinhua) -- By the year 2010, the registered urban unemployment rate will be kept below 5 percent, said the National Human Rights Action Plan of China (2009-2010) released by the Information Office of the State Council on Monday.

    In 2009 and 2010, an additional 18 million urban workers will be employed and 18 million rural laborers will move to cities or towns and find jobs there, and the state will take proactive and effective measures to offset the negative impacts of international financial crisis, and ensure the economic, social and cultural rights of all members of society.

    Efforts will be made to promote employment and re-employment, and guarantee the legitimate rights and interests of workers, said the action plan, coordinating the rural and urban employment situations in accordance with the Law on Employment Promotion to secure the growth of employment.

    The registered urban unemployment rate will be kept below 5 percent, and the priority is to find employment for college graduates and rural migrant workers, according to the action plan.

    The government will expand vocational training to bring the total number of skilled workers to 110 million nationwide, with technicians and senior technicians accounting for 5 percent of all skilled workers and senior workers accounting for 20 percent of all skilled workers, said the plan.

    The government is to reduce the number of deaths caused by industrial accidents per 100 million yuan (about 14.3 million U.S. dollars) of GDP by 35 percent compared with the figure for 2005, and the deaths per 100,000 workers in factories, mines and businesses by 25 percent, according to the plan. It said that those goals will be realized by strengthening labor protection, and improving production conditions in accordance with the Law on Safe Production.

    Meanwhile, the government will tighten supervision over salary payment, spreading the practice of employer leaving a deposit in banks to guarantee salary payment, and affixing the legal liability of deliberate default on payment in accordance with the Law on Mediation and Arbitration of Labor Disputes, the plan said.