China faces arduous task of ensuring employment: minister

 

China is faced with a more complex and arduous task of ensuring employment in 2015 against the backdrop of an economic slowdown, China's human resources minister said Tuesday. 

中国人社部部长3月10日表示，在经济增速放缓的大背景下，2015年中国的就业形势将更加复杂，也将更为严峻。

 

About 15 million young students need to find jobs in 2015, consisting of 7.49 million college graduates and a similar number of those graduating from vocational, technical schools or middle schools, said Yin Weimin, the minister of human resources and social security. 

中国人力资源和社会保障部部长尹蔚民表示，2015年城镇新成长劳动力大约有1500万人左右。其中高校毕业生749万，另外还有中专、技校和初中高中毕业生。

 

Another 3 million surplus labor force in the rural areas will be seeking employment in towns and cities, according to the minister. 

还有300万，是需要向城镇转移就业的农村富余劳动力。

 

Yin made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing National People's Congress annual session. 

尹蔚民在正在进行的十二届全国人大三次会议记者会上做出了上述表示。

 

China aims to create more than 10 million urban jobs and ensure that the registered urban unemployment rate does not rise above 4.5 percent in 2015, according to a government work report last week. 

上周发布的政府工作报告显示，2015年中国的目标是城镇新增就业1000万人以上，城镇登记失业率4.5%以内。

 

The employment task was announced along with a lowered growth target of "about 7 percent," after the economy grew 7.4 percent in 2014, the lowest pace since 1990. 

与就业目标同时公布的，还有“约7%左右”的GDP增长目标。2014年，中国GDP同比增长7.4%，创1990年以来新低。

 

"Urban employment in January and February fell from the same period last year," Yin also revealed on Tuesday. This was in line with a series of disappointing data at the start of the year, including indices measuring industrial activity, consumer prices and trade. 

尹蔚民10日还透露：“从1、2月份城镇新增就业数据来看，比去年同期有下降。”这与年初公布的一组走低数据相吻合，包括产业活动指数、居民消费指数和贸易指数。

 

Last year, despite the slowdown, a total of 13.22 million new urban jobs were created, beating the full-year target of 10 million. 

2014年，尽管经济增速放缓，全国城镇新增就业仍达到1322万人，超额完成了1000万人的就业目标。

 

Yin highlighted the country's fast-expanding service sector amid economic restructuring, and vigorous small and micro businesses thanks to streamlined government administration, both main sectors for job creation. 

尹蔚民指出，产业结构中快速扩张的第三产业，以及得益于政府改革红利从而充满活力的小微企业，是吸纳就业的两大主力军。

 

"We are still very confident in fulfilling this year's task and delivering the target of creating more than 10 million urban jobs, " said the minister. 

“我们还是非常有信心做好今年的就业工作，确保完成1000万人以上的城镇新增就业目标。”他说。

 

Ensuring employment for college graduates will be a top priority and relevant unemployment insurance policies will be implemented, he stressed. 

尹蔚民强调，要把高校毕业生作为就业工作的重中之重，并落实相关失业保险政策。

 

He also pledged efforts to encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation and to beef up vocational training services. 

他还表示，要真正形成大众创业、万众创新的局面，进一步加强公共就业服务和职业培训。

 

Ensuring employment has been a top concern for the Chinese government as the country eyes higher-quality growth while standing up to downward pressures. 

中国着眼于在抵御经济下行压力的同时，取得更高质量的经济增长。因此，保障就业成为中国政府的首要关注问题。

 

Premier Li Keqiang, when giving his government work report on the annual parliamentary session, stressed that China must maintain a steady growth rate to ensure employment and income continue to increase. 

国务院总理李克强在两会政府工作报告中强调，为确保就业和收入持续增长，中国必须保持一个稳定的经济增长率。

 

Vocabulary 

 

arduous：艰巨的 

vocational：职业的 

on the sidelines：旁观，不直接参与