Three Ministries Issue Guidelines to Establish Regular Employment Support Mechanism Against Return to Poverty
Recently, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the National Development and Reform Commission, and the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs have jointly issued the Guidelines on Establishing a Regular Employment Assistance Mechanism to Prevent Return to Poverty and Promote All-Round Rural Revitalization, putting forward six policy measures to maintain the overall stability of employment assistance policies after the transition period.
According to People’s Daily reports, the guidelines integrate regular employment assistance into the overall implementation of the rural revitalization strategy, aiming to ensure no large-scale return to poverty or impoverishment caused by unemployment. This move underscores China’s sustained efforts to consolidate the achievements of poverty alleviation and advance rural development in a comprehensive manner.
In terms of accurately identifying assistance targets, the guidelines propose taking people with working ability and willingness to work who are at risk of returning to poverty, as well as underdeveloped areas, as regular employment assistance targets during the post-transition period, implementing precise assistance and dynamic management. Continued employment support will be provided to former registered poor people who may fall back into poverty without such assistance.
To promote orderly migrant work, the guidelines clarify that the labor cooperation mechanism will be adhered to and improved, with efforts to innovate and develop labor brands and strengthen service guarantees for stable employment. These measures are designed to help people at risk of returning to poverty, including former registered poor people facing potential poverty without assistance, to find and retain jobs outside their hometowns.
For promoting local employment, the guidelines suggest developing county-level prosperity-driven industries and rural characteristic industries to enhance the employment absorption capacity of county economies. They also support the revitalization and upgrading of eligible employment assistance workshops, increase the implementation of work-relief projects, and encourage return migration and local entrepreneurship.
In strengthening employment services and vocational training, the guidelines require regular "intellectual and ideological assistance" campaigns, promoting integrated project-based employment support that combines job matching, skills training, skill evaluation and employment services. It also calls for implementing training initiatives such as the "Skills Illuminate the Future" program and special vocational training for housekeeping services, advancing the rural craftsman training project, and optimizing the "Rain and Dew Program Plus".
Regarding strengthening employment security, the guidelines specify that people at risk of returning to poverty who meet the criteria for employment difficulties will be included in the employment assistance scope, with relevant policies fully implemented. The policy of paying urban and rural residents’ basic pension insurance premiums on their behalf will continue, ensuring all eligible people at risk of returning to poverty are covered. For those who cannot find jobs through market channels, public welfare positions will be reasonably developed for guaranteed employment.
Additionally, the guidelines emphasize preferential support for key areas. Relying on mechanisms such as east-west cooperation, counterpart support and designated assistance, it will support key counties for rural revitalization and resettlement areas for relocated people to carry out integrated employment assistance projects. Preferential treatment will be given in industrial layout adjustment, employment assistance campaigns and work-relief project arrangements, encouraging enterprises in eastern regions to invest in western cooperative counties and promoting high-level talent services and farmer training projects to tilt towards key rural revitalization counties.
