'Employment first' the key for social development

Editor's note: China has issued an implementation plan for its employment-first strategy during the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period. China Media Group spoke to Zhang Chenggang, director of the research center for new forms of employment at Capital University of Economics and Business, on the goals, major tasks and policy measures for promoting high-quality and full employment. Below are excerpts of the interview. The views don't necessarily represent those of China Daily.

It is necessary to promote the quality and effectiveness of the service sector, which is the largest source of employment and offers a highly diverse range of jobs with varying entry requirements. Broadly speaking, it can be viewed from two perspectives — producer services and consumer services.

Producer services encompass the modern services that support manufacturing, such as finance, technology services and human resources services. Upgrading and expanding this sector hinges on whether it can generate a large number of high-value, well-paid jobs and continuously strengthen its competitiveness.

Consumer services account for a significant share of employment. In the past, many segments of the sector were characterized by small-scale and fragmented entities, uneven standards and relatively low entry barriers, resulting in wide variations in workforce quality.

The expansion of consumer services should be driven by organizations, enterprises and platforms that help raise service quality. Higher standards and better service quality will translate into an improved experience for consumers. In short, both producer and consumer services need to achieve growth in both quantity and quality.

A key message of the plan is that China must not only expand opportunities but also address existing shortcomings.

Expanding opportunities means continuing to support the development of new forms of employment and allowing the growth of the platform economy to play a greater role across both consumer and producer services. This, in turn, will create a wider variety of jobs, giving workers more choices and career paths.

At the same time, shortcomings in two key areas must be addressed. The first is social protection. Measures are needed to increase participation in social insurance among flexible workers and those in new forms of employment, while making enrollment more convenient. Occupational injury insurance should also be expanded to cover a broader range of workers in flexible employment.

The second area is public services. Service networks should become more extensive, ensuring that basic urban public services reach flexible workers and those engaged in new forms of employment. This will help them integrate more fully into urban life and share in the benefits of development.

It is also important to improve the alignment between educational provision and labor market demand. The establishment of a national big-data platform for talent demand will make workforce needs more visible and provide a stronger basis for educational institutions to adjust their academic programs.

A second priority is strengthening vocational education so that it becomes a respected pathway for career development rather than being viewed as a secondary option.

Also, academic disciplines must be adjusted in line with evolving industry needs. Educational institutions should closely follow the development of strategic emerging industries and future industries. Only by training people according to what the country and the market need can the education system better support economic and social development.