Employment opportunities to grow for group on back of government action

Governments at all levels are set to actively respond to the State-level policy on promoting the employment of people with disabilities, which aims to shape a more considerate social environment for disabled people and further China's protection of human rights.

An action plan released by the government of Anhui on Tuesday said the province will help 55,500 people with disabilities find jobs in the next three years.

The plan says government bodies and State-owned enterprises must offer at least one job vacancy to the disabled.

Operators of trade markets have been instructed to make 10 percent of their stands available to disabled people with reduced or remitted rent.

According to the three-year action plan, the provincial government will build up employment-support stations to organize flexible work for the disabled to help increase their incomes. The action plan says each county or district must have at least two of these support stations by 2024.

Other provinces have also launched action plans to promote employment for the disabled.

The government of Guangdong said on Wednesday the province will help over 80,000 disabled people find jobs from 2022 to 2024, and provide skills training for 60,000 people with disabilities in the same period.

In October, the government of Jiangxi set a target of creating 25,000 jobs for the province's people with disabilities from 2022 to 2024. Around 10,000 disabled people will be offered jobs in public welfare positions each year during the period.

According to the provincial government, it will encourage disabled people to take flexible jobs or start their own businesses, such as being a livestream host, or opening online stores, in addition to some regular support measures provided by the government. Disabled people who are covered by the nation's basic living allowance will be given an extension for three years after they find a job.

China Disabled Persons' Federation said the country had made progress in promoting employment for disabled people. It said that as of June 30, about 8.92 million people with disabilities — out of 17.03 million of working age who are registered — are employed, representing a 52.4 percent employment rate.

Yu Gesheng, a member of the Standing Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, said that the nation still faces challenges in further facilitating employment for disabled people, including unsound policies and a shortfall of financial support.

He encouraged government bodies and companies to offer more vacancies to the disabled, and to address some of the unnecessary restrictions on job interviews. He said that it's also important to build up a market-oriented working skills training system for disabled people, which focuses on fostering the skills needed for rural vitalization and flexible employment.

He added that the nation could introduce a system of rewards to encourage more disabled people to land jobs or start new businesses. Supporting policies such as tax reductions and sound medical insurance are also necessary.

Earlier in March, the State Council, China's Cabinet, released an action plan to promote the employment of the disabled, which set a target to help one million disabled people find employment from 2022 to 2024.