Authorities going full steam ahead to secure new jobs

Emerging jobs have become the focus of lawmakers and political advisers at the ongoing two sessions. Emerging jobs refer to the new, flexible, self-employable or platform-based work patterns arising from the new round of internet technology revolution.

New social situations together with new technology have helped create the new jobs. At the beginning of this year, several State departments, including the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, officially recognized 16 new occupations, including network deliveryman, industrial internet technician and virtual reality engineering technician. Others such as those of livestreaming anchor and e-commerce retailers are also quite popular.

The Digital China Construction and Development Report 2018, issued by the Cyberspace Administration of China, shows there were 16.77 million internet-based employees in China by the end of that year. It is estimated that the country now has hundreds of millions of people taking up flexible jobs.

Some new types of jobs, in particular, have developed faster following the novel coronavirus outbreak. For instance, the number of online deliverymen increased rapidly in the first quarter of 2020. They not only helped deliver basic necessities to the people but also helped contain the novel coronavirus, as people ordered their necessities from homes without venturing out. Employment is the top concern as the country tries to revive the economy. State authorities are doing all they can to reduce the unemployment rate.

It thus makes sense to give full play to the emerging occupations. After listening to a discussion among deputies to the National People's Congress, the country's top legislature, on Saturday, President Xi Jinping spoke of improving the legal protection of new job takers, indicating that the authorities will promote the new professions.