Registered jobless rate unchanged at 4.2%
By Guan Xiaofeng (China Daily)
Updated: 2005-07-20 06:02

China laid off 27.8 million workers from SOEs between 1998 and 2003, of these 18.5 million, or 67 per cent, have been re-employed.

Mo estimated the urban jobless rate might grow slightly to 4.3 or 4.4 per cent by the end of the year with the ongoing SOE reform, which may shed more jobs.

Premier Wen Jiabao announced in his government work report in March that China will keep its registered unemployment rate under 4.6 per cent. Wen also pledged to put more laid-off workers from SOEs under the umbrella of the country's unemployment insurance system.

Mo said the actual unemployment rate might be as high as 7 or 8 per cent if those who have not been officially laid off and registered are taken into account.

But Mo is optimistic about China's long-term employment situation because of sustained economic growth and the expansion of employment programmes for laid-off workers to cover the country's entire urban population.

In 2003 China's registered urban unemployment rate was 4.3 per cent.  

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