China issues guideline to promote employment for migrant workers

BEIJING -- China will further promote high-quality and sufficient employment for migrant workers and facilitate their urbanization process, 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 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, encourage migrant workers who wish to settle in cities to do so, and safeguard the legitimate land rights and interests of migrant workers who settle in cities, the guideline said.