Sunday, November 03, 2024

The Contradictions of Employment in New Era Socialist Modernization: 习近平 促进高质量充分就业 [Xi Jinping, Promoting high-quality full employment]

 


 IN its latest issue (2024/21), Qiushi 《求是》distributed  the text of a speech given by General Secretary Xi Jinping speech at the 14th collective study session of the 20th Central Political Bureau on May 27, 2024. The speech is entitled 习近平  促进高质量充分就业 [Xi Jinping, Promoting high-quality full employment].

The distribution of this speech is important for several reasons.  The first is to foreground the importance to which the State attaches to employment--or rather to the challenge of unemployment.  The second is to align employment policy with the core principles of socialist modernization and high quality productivity as developed in the 3rd Plenum of the 20th CPC Central Committee (here, here). And the third is to distill the general structure of the application of New Era Socialist modernization to the challenge of employment. These were reduced to five points of emphasis:

1. First, always adhere to employment priority. We must unswervingly implement the new development concept, more consciously take high-quality and full employment as the priority goal of economic and social development, make the process of high-quality development a process of improving the quality and expanding the capacity of employment, and enhance the employment driving force of development. [第一,始终坚持就业优先。要坚定不移贯彻新发展理念,更加自觉地把高质量充分就业作为经济社会发展的优先目标,使高质量发展的过程成为就业提质扩容的过程,提高发展的就业带动力。] This serves as the framework for applying the general principles of high quality development of the 3rd Plenum. But it also suggests the ways in which the premises of new quality development will be contextualized in the employment context. It also suggests the potentially important foregrounded alignment of employment with the general contradiction of the new era--that is employment as an element of just distribution of the benefits (and responsibilities) of socialist modernization.

2. Second, focus on solving structural employment contradictions. The mismatch between supply and demand of human resources is the main contradiction facing my country's current employment field. [第二,着力解决结构性就业矛盾。人力资源供需不匹配,是当前我国就业领域面临的主要矛盾。] Among the most interesting aspects of this is the effort to overcome the hierarchy of labor value. "We should create a favorable public opinion atmosphere and inclusive social environment that is conducive to employment and entrepreneurship, such as "no profession is noble or humble, and labor is respected", "there are top talents in all 360 professions", and "grassroots employment can also be outstanding"," [营造“职业无贵贱,劳动受尊重”、“三百六十行,行行出状元”、“基层就业,同样出彩”等有利于就业创业的良好舆论氛围和包容社会环境,]

3. Third, improve the employment support policy for key groups. [第三,完善重点群体就业支持政策。]. These include students, migrant workers (especially in encouraging relocation back to place of origin), groups with employment difficulties (the elderly, disabled and the long term unemployed), and retired soldiers and women. Again, the focus appears to be on employment at the margins and in contexts where both the state and private sector wil have to expend a more substantial effort to achieve goals.  The critical questions here, though is the extent to which provincial and local officials will require nudging from the center.  In this context, certainly, the use of data driven assessment measures might be usefully applied--assuming the administrative apparatus takes the tie to develop and correctly deploy them.

4. Fourth, deepen the reform of the employment system and mechanism. We must give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of human resources, better play the role of the government, and focus on solving the problems that restrict the improvement of employment quality, the expansion of employment capacity, and the optimization of employment structure. [第四,深化就业体制机制改革。要充分发挥市场在人力资源配置中的决定性作用,更好发挥政府作用,着力解决制约提升就业质量、扩大就业容量、优化就业结构的卡点堵点问题。]. Here the complementary dual pathway system of public and private enterprises coordinated by the CPC, will play a leading role. But that differentiation may also become more visible. See for example Law of the Law of the People's Republic of China on Promoting Private Economy (Draft for Comments) [中华人民共和国民营经济促进法 (草案征求意见稿)] Text and Source Materials.

5. Fifth, strengthen the protection of workers' rights and interests. It is necessary to improve labor laws and regulations, standardize labor standards for new employment forms, improve the social security system, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers in labor remuneration, rest and vacation, labor safety, skills training, social insurance and welfare. [第五,加强劳动者权益保障。要健全劳动法律法规,规范新就业形态劳动基准,完善社会保障体系,维护劳动者在劳动报酬、休息休假、劳动安全、技能培训、社会保险和福利等方面的合法权益]. This includes a number of projects, from flexible employment and occupational injurt policies to stricter supervision of labor and labor rights.

 The full text of the remarks follow below in the original Chinese and in a crude English  translation.

促进高质量充分就业

习近平

  今天进行二十届中央政治局第十四次集体学习,内容是促进高质量充分就业,目的是结合学习贯彻党的二十大精神,总结新时代就业工作成就和经验,分析当前就业形势和面临的突出问题,研究促进高质量充分就业的思路和举措。

  就业是最基本的民生,事关人民群众切身利益,事关经济社会健康发展,事关国家长治久安,我们党对此历来高度重视。党的十八大以来,党中央坚持把就业工作摆在治国理政的突出位置,强化就业优先政策,健全就业促进机制,有效应对外部压力、内部困难特别是新冠疫情带来的严峻挑战,城镇新增就业年均1300万人,城镇调查失业率保持较低水平,在14亿多人口的发展中大国实现了比较充分的就业,为民生改善和经济发展提供了重要支撑。在这个过程中,我们不断深化对新时代就业工作规律的认识,积累了许多经验,主要包括:坚持党对就业工作的全面领导,坚持把就业作为民生之本,坚持实施就业优先战略,坚持依靠发展促进就业,坚持扩大就业容量和提升就业质量相结合,坚持突出抓好重点群体就业,坚持创业带动就业,坚持营造公平就业环境,坚持构建和谐劳动关系,等等。这些经验十分宝贵,要长期坚持并不断丰富发展。


  2024年10月17日至18日,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平在安徽考察。这是17日下午,习近平在合肥滨湖科学城考察时,同现场科研人员和企业负责人亲切交流。 新华社记者 鞠鹏/摄

  同时要看到,就业工作仍面临不少突出矛盾和问题。我国发展进入战略机遇和风险挑战并存、不确定难预料因素增多的时期,稳增长、稳就业的压力始终存在;人口发展少子化、老龄化、区域人口增减分化以及经济数字化转型等趋势对就业的影响逐步加深,结构性就业矛盾不断凸显;人民群众对高品质生活的需要日益增长,提升就业质量已经成为劳动者的迫切愿望。

  党的二十大科学把握就业形势新变化,顺应人民群众新期待,着眼扎实推进高质量发展和全体人民共同富裕,作出了促进高质量充分就业的重大部署。在宏观层面,高质量充分就业主要包括就业机会充分、就业环境公平、就业结构优化、人岗匹配高效、劳动关系和谐等;在微观层面,高质量充分就业主要表现为劳动者不仅有活干,而且工作稳定、收入合理、保障可靠、职业安全等。当然,这是一个很高的要求,也是一个循序渐进的过程,必须尽力而为、量力而行;必须充分调动人民群众的积极性主动性创造性,引导大家依靠努力奋斗创造幸福生活,不能不劳而获、坐享其成。

  促进高质量充分就业,是新时代新征程就业工作的新定位、新使命。要坚持以人民为中心的发展思想,全面贯彻劳动者自主就业、市场调节就业、政府促进就业和鼓励创业的方针,以推动高质量发展为基础,以实施就业优先战略为引领,以强化就业优先政策为抓手,以深化就业体制机制改革为动力,持续促进就业质的有效提升和量的合理增长,不断增强广大劳动者的获得感幸福感安全感,为以中国式现代化全面推进强国建设、民族复兴伟业提供有力支撑。这里,我着重强调5点。

  第一,始终坚持就业优先。要坚定不移贯彻新发展理念,更加自觉地把高质量充分就业作为经济社会发展的优先目标,使高质量发展的过程成为就业提质扩容的过程,提高发展的就业带动力。因地制宜发展新质生产力,改造提升传统产业,培育壮大新兴产业,布局建设未来产业,完善现代化产业体系,努力创造更多高质量就业岗位。支持发展吸纳就业能力强的产业和企业,稳定和扩大就业容量。根据经济社会发展新趋势和人民群众高品质生活新期待,不断细化优化社会分工,大力发展新业态、新模式,积极挖掘、培育新的职业序列,开发新的就业增长点。要强化重大政策、重大项目、重大生产力布局对就业影响的评估,推动财政、货币、投资、消费、产业、区域等政策与就业政策协调联动、同向发力,构建就业友好型发展方式。

  第二,着力解决结构性就业矛盾。人力资源供需不匹配,是当前我国就业领域面临的主要矛盾。解决这一矛盾,关键在于加快塑造素质优良、总量充裕、结构优化、分布合理的现代化人力资源。要适应新一轮科技革命和产业变革,科学研判人力资源发展趋势,统筹抓好教育、培训和就业,动态调整高等教育专业和资源结构布局,大力发展职业教育,健全终身职业技能培训制度,推进职普融通、产教融合、科教融汇,增强人力资源开发的前瞻性、针对性、有效性。完善供需对接机制,力求做到人岗相适、用人所长、人尽其才,提升就业质量和稳定性。加强宣传教育,引导全社会牢固树立正确就业观,营造“职业无贵贱,劳动受尊重”、“三百六十行,行行出状元”、“基层就业,同样出彩”等有利于就业创业的良好舆论氛围和包容社会环境,以择业新观念打开就业新天地。深入分析一些行业出现较大用工缺口的原因,找到有效补缺办法,从破解“有活没人干”入手,解决“有人没活干”的问题。


  2024年10月15日至16日,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平在福建考察。这是15日下午,习近平在漳州市东山县陈城镇澳角村考察时,了解海鲜干货和渔获产品交易情况。 新华社记者 谢环驰/摄

  第三,完善重点群体就业支持政策。要坚持把高校毕业生等青年群体就业作为重中之重,开发更多有利于发挥所学所长的就业岗位,鼓励青年投身重点领域、重点行业、城乡基层和中小微企业就业创业,拓宽市场化社会化就业渠道,确保青年就业水平总体平稳。结合推进新型城镇化和乡村全面振兴,坚持外出就业和就地就近就业并重,多措并举促进农民工就业,着重引导外出人才返乡、城市人才下乡创业。稳定脱贫人口务工规模和务工收入,防止因失业导致规模性返贫。加强对大龄、残疾、较长时间失业等就业困难群体的帮扶,落实就业援助措施,统筹用好公益性岗位,确保零就业家庭动态清零。做好退役军人、妇女等群体就业工作。

  第四,深化就业体制机制改革。要充分发挥市场在人力资源配置中的决定性作用,更好发挥政府作用,着力解决制约提升就业质量、扩大就业容量、优化就业结构的卡点堵点问题。完善就业公共服务制度,打造覆盖全民、贯穿全程、辐射全域、便捷高效的全方位就业公共服务体系,提高就业公共服务可及性和均等化、专业化水平。完善促进创业带动就业的保障制度,优化创业服务,提升创业质量。健全统一规范的人力资源市场体系,营造公平就业环境,坚决破除影响劳动力、人才流动的体制机制障碍,使人人都有通过辛勤努力实现自身发展的机会。


  2024年4月22日至24日,中共中央总书记、国家主席、中央军委主席习近平在重庆考察。这是22日下午,习近平在重庆国际物流枢纽园区重庆铁路集装箱中心站,同货车司机、列车司机、装卸工人、场站管理人员等亲切交流。 新华社记者 岳月伟/摄

  第五,加强劳动者权益保障。要健全劳动法律法规,规范新就业形态劳动基准,完善社会保障体系,维护劳动者在劳动报酬、休息休假、劳动安全、技能培训、社会保险和福利等方面的合法权益。加强灵活就业和新就业形态劳动者权益保障,扩大职业伤害保障试点,及时总结经验、形成制度。加强市场监管和劳动保障监察执法,有效治理就业歧视、欠薪欠保、违法裁员等乱象。

  就业是家事,更是国事。各级党委和政府要把就业当作民生头等大事来抓,加强组织领导,健全制度机制,增强工作合力。要加快建构中国就业理论体系,积极讲好中国就业故事,有效提升我国在就业领域的国际话语权和影响力。

  ※这是习近平总书记2024年5月27日在二十届中央政治局第十四次集体学习时讲话的主要部分。

 

 Promoting high-quality full employment ※

Xi Jinping

Today, the 14th collective study session of the 20th Central Political Bureau was held. The content was to promote high-quality full employment. The purpose was to combine the study and implementation of the spirit of the 20th National Congress of the Party, summarize the achievements and experience of employment work in the new era, analyze the current employment situation and the outstanding problems faced, and study the ideas and measures to promote high-quality full employment.

Employment is the most basic livelihood, which concerns the vital interests of the people, the healthy development of the economy and society, and the long-term stability of the country. Our party has always attached great importance to this. Since the 18th National Congress of the Communist Party of China, the Party Central Committee has insisted on placing employment work in a prominent position in governing the country, strengthening employment priority policies, improving employment promotion mechanisms, and effectively responding to external pressures, internal difficulties, especially the severe challenges brought about by the new crown epidemic. The annual average number of new urban employment is 13 million, and the urban survey unemployment rate remains at a low level. In a large developing country with a population of more than 1.4 billion, relatively full employment has been achieved, providing important support for improving people's livelihood and economic development. In this process, we have continuously deepened our understanding of the laws of employment work in the new era and accumulated a lot of experience, mainly including: adhering to the party's overall leadership over employment work, adhering to employment as the foundation of people's livelihood, adhering to the implementation of the employment priority strategy, adhering to relying on development to promote employment, adhering to the combination of expanding employment capacity and improving employment quality, adhering to focusing on the employment of key groups, adhering to entrepreneurship to drive employment, adhering to creating a fair employment environment, adhering to building harmonious labor relations, etc. These experiences are very valuable and must be adhered to for a long time and continuously enriched and developed.

 


From October 17 to 18, 2024, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Anhui. This is the afternoon of the 17th, when Xi Jinping inspected the Binhu Science City in Hefei, and had a cordial exchange with on-site scientific researchers and enterprise leaders. Xinhua News Agency reporter Ju Peng/Photo


At the same time, it should be seen that employment work still faces many prominent contradictions and problems. my country's development has entered a period of coexistence of strategic opportunities and risks and challenges, and increasing uncertainties and unpredictable factors. The pressure to stabilize growth and employment always exists; the impact of trends such as low birth rate, aging, regional population growth and decline differentiation, and economic digital transformation on employment has gradually deepened, and structural employment contradictions have continued to highlight; the people's need for high-quality life is growing, and improving the quality of employment has become an urgent desire for workers.

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China scientifically grasped the new changes in the employment situation, responded to the new expectations of the people, focused on solidly promoting high-quality development and common prosperity for all people, and made major arrangements to promote high-quality and full employment. At the macro level, high-quality and full employment mainly includes sufficient employment opportunities, fair employment environment, optimized employment structure, efficient matching of people and positions, and harmonious labor relations; at the micro level, high-quality and full employment is mainly manifested in that workers not only have work to do, but also have stable jobs, reasonable income, reliable protection, and occupational safety. Of course, this is a very high requirement and a gradual process. We must do our best and act within our means; we must fully mobilize the enthusiasm, initiative and creativity of the people and guide everyone to create a happy life through hard work, and we cannot get something for nothing or sit back and enjoy the fruits of others' labor.

Promoting high-quality and full employment is the new positioning and mission of employment work in the new era and new journey. We must adhere to the people-centered development concept, fully implement the principle of self-employment of workers, market-regulated employment, government promotion of employment and encouragement of entrepreneurship, promote high-quality development as the basis, implement the employment priority strategy as the guide, strengthen the employment priority policy as the starting point, and deepen the reform of the employment system and mechanism as the driving force to continuously promote the effective improvement of employment quality and the reasonable growth of quantity, and continuously enhance the sense of gain, happiness and security of the vast number of workers, so as to provide strong support for the comprehensive promotion of the construction of a strong country and the great cause of national rejuvenation with Chinese-style modernization. Here, I emphasize five points.

First, always adhere to employment priority. We must unswervingly implement the new development concept, more consciously take high-quality and full employment as the priority goal of economic and social development, make the process of high-quality development a process of improving the quality and expanding the capacity of employment, and enhance the employment driving force of development. Develop new quality productivity according to local conditions, transform and upgrade traditional industries, cultivate and strengthen emerging industries, plan and build future industries, improve the modern industrial system, and strive to create more high-quality jobs. Support the development of industries and enterprises with strong employment absorption capacity, stabilize and expand employment capacity. According to the new trend of economic and social development and the new expectation of the people for high-quality life, we should continuously refine and optimize the social division of labor, vigorously develop new forms and models, actively explore and cultivate new career sequences, and develop new employment growth points. We should strengthen the assessment of the impact of major policies, major projects, and major productivity layouts on employment, promote the coordinated linkage and joint efforts of fiscal, monetary, investment, consumption, industrial, regional and other policies with employment policies, and build an employment-friendly development mode.

Second, focus on solving structural employment contradictions. The mismatch between supply and demand of human resources is the main contradiction facing my country's current employment field. The key to solving this contradiction lies in accelerating the shaping of modern human resources with excellent quality, sufficient total volume, optimized structure and reasonable distribution. We should adapt to the new round of scientific and technological revolution and industrial transformation, scientifically judge the development trend of human resources, coordinate education, training and employment, dynamically adjust the layout of higher education majors and resource structures, vigorously develop vocational education, improve the lifelong vocational skills training system, promote the integration of vocational and general education, industry-education integration, and science-education integration, and enhance the foresight, pertinence and effectiveness of human resources development. We should improve the supply and demand docking mechanism, strive to make people suitable for posts, use people's strengths, and make the best use of their talents, and improve the quality and stability of employment. Strengthen publicity and education, guide the whole society to firmly establish a correct employment concept, create a good public opinion atmosphere and inclusive social environment conducive to employment and entrepreneurship, such as "no profession is noble or humble, labor is respected", "360 professions, every profession has a champion", "grassroots employment, equally outstanding", and open up a new world of employment with new career choices. In-depth analysis of the reasons for the large labor gap in some industries, find effective ways to fill the gap, and solve the problem of "some people have no work to do" by starting with "there is work but no one to do it".


 

From October 15 to 16, 2024, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, inspected Fujian. This is the afternoon of the 15th when Xi Jinping inspected Aojiao Village, Chencheng Town, Dongshan County, Zhangzhou City, and learned about the trading of dried seafood and fishery products. Xinhua News Agency reporter Xie Huanchi/Photo


Third, improve the employment support policy for key groups. We must insist on making employment for college graduates and other youth groups a top priority, develop more jobs that are conducive to giving full play to their knowledge and strengths, encourage young people to engage in employment and entrepreneurship in key areas, key industries, urban and rural grassroots and small and medium-sized enterprises, broaden market-oriented and socialized employment channels, and ensure that the overall level of youth employment is stable. In combination with the promotion of new urbanization and comprehensive rural revitalization, we must give equal importance to employment outside the home and employment in the local area, take multiple measures to promote the employment of migrant workers, and focus on guiding talents who have gone out to return to their hometowns and urban talents to start businesses in the countryside. Stabilize the scale of employment and income of the people who have escaped poverty, and prevent large-scale poverty due to unemployment. Strengthen assistance to groups with employment difficulties such as the elderly, the disabled, and those who have been unemployed for a long time, implement employment assistance measures, make good use of public welfare positions in a coordinated manner, and ensure that zero-employment families are dynamically cleared. Do a good job in employment for groups such as retired soldiers and women.

Fourth, deepen the reform of the employment system and mechanism. We must give full play to the decisive role of the market in the allocation of human resources, better play the role of the government, and focus on solving the problems that restrict the improvement of employment quality, the expansion of employment capacity, and the optimization of employment structure. Improve the employment public service system, create a comprehensive employment public service system that covers the entire population, runs through the entire process, radiates the entire region, is convenient and efficient, and improves the accessibility, equality and professionalization of employment public services. Improve the guarantee system for promoting entrepreneurship to drive employment, optimize entrepreneurship services, and improve the quality of entrepreneurship. Improve a unified and standardized human resources market system, create a fair employment environment, and resolutely break down the institutional and mechanism barriers that affect the flow of labor and talents, so that everyone has the opportunity to achieve their own development through hard work.


 

From April 22 to 24, 2024, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the State, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, visited Chongqing. This is the afternoon of the 22nd, when Xi Jinping had a cordial exchange with truck drivers, train drivers, loading and unloading workers, and station managers at the Chongqing Railway Container Center Station in the Chongqing International Logistics Hub Park. Xinhua News Agency reporter Yue Yuewei/Photo


Fifth, strengthen the protection of workers' rights and interests. It is necessary to improve labor laws and regulations, standardize labor standards for new employment forms, improve the social security system, and safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of workers in labor remuneration, rest and vacation, labor safety, skills training, social insurance and welfare. Strengthen the protection of the rights and interests of workers in flexible employment and new employment forms, expand the pilot program of occupational injury protection, summarize experience in a timely manner and form a system. Strengthen market supervision and labor and social security supervision and law enforcement, and effectively govern employment discrimination, wage arrears, illegal layoffs and other chaos.

Employment is a family matter, but also a national matter. Party committees and governments at all levels should take employment as a top priority for people's livelihood, strengthen organizational leadership, improve institutional mechanisms, and enhance work synergy. We must accelerate the construction of China's employment theory system, actively tell China's employment story well, and effectively enhance my country's international discourse power and influence in the field of employment.

※This is the main part of General Secretary Xi Jinping's speech at the 14th collective study session of the 20th Central Political Bureau on May 27, 2024.

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