Premier Li Keqiang inspected the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on May 6 and presided over a symposium on employment.

The Premier asked about the job market and about the latest information at the employment promotion department. Officials said that the current employment situation is stable on the whole, and related indicators are within a reasonable range.

Premier Li said that employment has a direct relationship with economic and social development, so it is important to have accurate and complete employment data. If employment can remain stable, income will be increased and people’s livelihood will gradually be improved, the Premier said.

The Premier said any changes in the employment situation should be focused, analyzed and researched to provide scientific basis for macro-economic control.

The Premier also joined a discussion on migrant workers’ employment with staff members. He said the special group will have the most direct influence on economic changes. All kinds of measures should be taken to help them get employed. This can not only increase their income, but also help to promote the coordinated development of the new-type urbanization and agricultural modernization.

At the symposium, related officials from the ministry and the Ministry of Education gave reports. People in charge of 51job.com, a recruitment company, also expressed their opinions.

Even as the economic growth rate slowed down in the past three years, over 13 million people found employment in cities and towns every year, said the Premier. Staff members from both ministries made great contributions to promote employment. Private organizations also played a positive role, he said.

We should always focus on maintaining a stable employment rate, increasing income and benefiting people. Development is always of top priority; human resources, talent and innovation should be relied on more, said the Premier. He said that we should stick to positive employment policies - adjust structure to expand new room for employment, deepen reform to stimulate employment potential and vitality.

There will be 7.65 million university graduates this year, a record high, said the Premier. The number surpasses 12 million when secondary vocational school graduates are included. We should attach great importance to their employment, he said.

We have to achieve employment transformation in order to promote economic transformation and upgrading. There are restrictions for many traditional industries in expanding employment. We have to make efforts to develop a new economy to provide more job positions suitable for young people with high quality, said the Premier.

The Premier urged improving plans to promote employment for college graduates. The government will continuously streamline administration, provide better services and create a good environment for employment and entrepreneurship, Premier Li said. The government will vigorously implement the innovation-driven strategy to promote mass entrepreneurship and innovation, he added.

More efforts will be made to develop the service industry, private economy and micro-enterprises, in which jobs will be provided for large workforces, said the Premier. He also called for actively promoting employment for migrant workers and strengthening employment guidance, career introduction and rights protection.

Premier Li said that the government will create more measures to support migrant workers from poverty-stricken families and support more migrant workers to start businesses in their hometowns. He also urged implementing policies to help demobilized servicemen find jobs.

Premier Li said that pensions should be given out on time, and unemployment insurance and critical illness insurance will be ensured for our people. He called for more measures such as mass entrepreneurship and innovation, and special funds from the government to help laid-off workers find new jobs.

“For those who cannot find jobs for a short time, the government should make efforts to enhance their confidence and guarantee their basic needs,” the Premier said. The government also has to help poverty-stricken areas solve the employment issue and prevent unemployment risks on a wide scale, he said.

The Premier noted that employment is an important task and common duty for governments at all levels. Stabilizing employment should be put in a prominent place, he said.

Premier Li called for an all-out effort to achieve this year’s employment target and provide strong support for economic transformation and upgrading.