Year: at the second session of the fifth CPPCC National Committee held in 1979

Proposal No: 0569

Proposers: 82 CPPCC National Committee members including Hu Zi'ang

This year's Government Work Report noted that "employment is a pressing issue", which "will be solved with a well-conceived plan that takes care of all parties". The proper placement of unemployed people is of vital importance to adjusting the national economy, creating wealth, improving living standards and maintaining stability and solidarity. 

1. In many cities, unemployed youth and job vacancies coexist. Drawing on our personal experience, we believe that meeting people's basic life needs is the No 1 task in boosting employment. People will be able to feel secure and focus their minds on work when they are supported in terms of childcare, access to hospitals, moving home and household repairs. Some jobs in the service industry should be restored and new ones should be created. 

2. Create job opportunities in the tourism industry and production of export-oriented handicrafts. 

3. We suggest that the district government or sub-district offices facilitate the employment of its residents (except those who are admitted to college or secondary technical schools and those who are sent to rural areas as part of the Down-to-the-Countryside campaign). Short-term training programs should be offered and the subjects should be determined based on what the economy needs (e.g. mechanical drawing, automobile construction, bookkeeping, accounting, statistics, typing, transcribing, etc.). Educational departments and related agencies should take charge of these training programs and invite experienced experts (including education and management specialists trained either domestically or abroad) to prepare the teaching materials based on real needs. The lengths of the training programs are three months, half a year or one year. Students who complete a program will be awarded a certificate of completion and a transcript. Publicly owned companies should recruit new employees using tests. Intellectual competence and moral integrity shall be the only selection criteria. Employment testing makes it difficult for candidates to pull strings and can uncover real talent. Those who are not hired can still take part in service work and manual work in their own sub-districts. Qualified retirees and specialists can be employed to teach the training courses. In terms of the teaching space, existing classrooms should be utilized to the largest extent possible and the training sessions should take place during after-class hours. 

4. Employment and vocational training are important issues for people across the country and can only be done through the concerted efforts of the whole society.