Migrant workers to get more access to social assistance

China will further improve the working conditions for migrant workers and enable them to have better access to social insurance and services in the cities that they work in, according to a guideline published on Friday.

The guideline, issued by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and nine other central authorities, stressed the need to stabilize and expand employment for migrant workers, while calling for multiple measures to broaden their employment channels.

China will work to enhance the working skills of migrant workers, safeguard their labor rights and interests, and improve the long-term mechanism for controlling arrears of wages, according to the guideline.

The country will promote the participation of migrant workers in social insurance schemes such as pensions, medical care, unemployment and work injury insurance, and will safeguard their social security rights and interests.

China will also promote equal access for migrant workers to basic public services in urban areas, further relax restrictions on urban household registration and safeguard the legitimate land rights and interests of migrant workers who settle in cities, the guideline said.

More patrols, early warnings to better ensure road safety

The Ministry of Transport and the Ministry of Public Security have issued a notice requiring greater coordination in patrols, early warnings and emergency response for highway accidents so as to ensure the safety of public travel.

The notice calls for improving a working mechanism that involves emergency management, meteorological and other departments, to further consolidate resources and information to build an interconnected network.

By doing so, the mechanism shall ensure that multiple departments can send out early warnings, remove hidden risks and respond to emergencies in a coordinated way, it said.

The notice required authorities across the country to reinforce highway patrols by employing a combination of manual inspections and video surveillance, especially during high-risk periods such as heavy rainfall or nighttime hours.

The notice also encourages the application of new monitoring and warning technologies. Innovations in highway monitoring equipment and data analysis tools will help improve the automatic detection of emergencies, it said.

Pilot long-term care insurance scheme extends benefits

China's long-term care insurance scheme, since its pilots were launched in several provincial-level regions in 2016, has benefited 2.6 million people, reducing the financial burden on the public by over 80 billion yuan ($11 billion).

Speaking at a recent meeting held in Nantong, Jiangsu province, Li Tao, deputy head of the National Healthcare Security Administration, said the scheme, which has been implemented in 49 cities covering approximately 180 million people, has played a significant role in relieving the burden of care for people with disabilities that often falls upon their family members.

The scheme has also helped promote the development of the silver economy, a sector focused on meeting the needs of the elderly, she said.

China is working to tackle the challenges of an aging society. The country's population aged 60 and above reached nearly 297 million last year, accounting for 21.1 percent of the total.

According to Li, the long-term care insurance scheme focuses on meeting the urgent needs of individuals with severe disabilities for nursing services.

It emphasizes scaling the scope of coverage and benefit standards in a reasonable way to suit every region, with a primary aim of alleviating the economic and logistical burdens on severely disabled individuals and their families, she said.