North China's Shanxi province has set a goal of adding 500,000 skilled workers and 150,000 high-skilled talent with related qualifications in 2020 -- with the aim of increasing the employment rate and employees' incomes, according to the Shanxi Department of Resource and Social Security on March 10. 

To achieve this goal, Shanxi plans to roll out vocational skills training to over 1 million people this year, officials said. 

The province will provide free vocational skills training to young people from poor families, poor laborers, junior and senior high school graduates who have not continued their studies -- as well as to rural workers, laid-off and retired workers, retired soldiers and people with physical disabilities. 

Officials said entrepreneurship training subsidies will be included in the special funds for vocational skills improvement. 

Officials said Shanxi will base its initiative on individual needs and the labor demand from employers. 

They said the province will organize skills training in household services, elderly care, hospital care, catering and e-commerce -- which are in high demand in the market -- for migrant workers, especially those in poor financial situations.

For training in vocations with a high degree of labor mobility, Shanxi will increase subsidies to migrant workers from rural areas.

In addition, Shanxi will expand order-based and project-based vocational training -- to maximize the knowledge and skills of trained workers and promote the export of labor services and skills.

Officials said the province aims to send labor and vocational skills beyond the province and even overseas apart, from meeting employment needs within the province.

They said that Japan will be the first step of Shanxi's export labor market expansion this year.