Employment, education high on government agenda this year

Employment, education and healthcare are high on the agenda this year so that people's livelihoods can be continuously improved, according to Premier Li Keqiang.

The government will implement fiscal and monetary policies to support employment goals, as employment is not only a matter of livelihood, but also closely related with development, he said at a news conference on Friday.

"Only when there is employment, there is income, and life would be promising," Li said, adding that jobs also create wealth for society.

"We need to generate at least 11 million, preferably 13 million, new urban jobs each year," he said. "I always feel that if we could achieve sufficient employment, we would be able to realize the potential growth of the economy."

Li noted that in 2020, when China was stricken hard by the COVID-19 epidemic, the central government did not set an exact economic growth target for the year, but gave a clear target of creating at least 9 million new jobs. Finally, more than 11 million new jobs were provided, and the country saw GDP growth of 2.2 percent.

This year, there will be a record increase in new job seekers, some 16 million in all, among them a record high 10.76 million college graduates, according to official data.

"We need to rely on market-oriented means to resolve issues related to employment," Li said, adding that in recent years, China has been promoting initiatives regarding mass entrepreneurship and innovation while encouraging the growth of new technologies, industries and business models to create new drivers of growth.

Apart from employment, the government will also increase funding for compulsory education and medical insurance as it works to improve rural residents' access to public services, Li said.

Despite the fact that incomes have been growing in step with GDP, there is still a notable gap between incomes in urban and rural areas, he said.

Li said that he had received a report earlier this year, listing the 10 top hopes people have for their lives. Most concerned basic living needs and most came from rural residents.

"Protecting and promoting lives is a fundamental reason for the government's efforts to grow the economy," he said. "The government must continue to do all it can within its capacity to keep making improvements to people's lives."

Li vowed consistent efforts to enhance compulsory education in rural China, and to improve the national medical insurance system.

China's fiscal revenues reached 20 trillion yuan ($3.2 trillion), but the country still faces financial strain in some instances. "However, we have ensured that government spending on education remained above 4 percent of GDP for 10 consecutive years. This was by no means easy," he said.

Li said that most of the government funding increase has gone toward compulsory education in rural areas, as the country still has a rural population of 760 million.

"We will ensure that more funds are channeled to support compulsory education in rural and remote areas," he stressed.

The premier said that the government will also increase subsidies for basic medical insurance by an average of 30 yuan per person.

Li also highlighted the importance of protecting the public's rights and interests, emphasizing that "safety and better lives are closely interconnected, so it's the mission for governments at all levels to do everything we can to protect people's lives and safety".

Those who disregard people's pain and suffering must be held accountable, and those involved with the trafficking of women must be brought to justice, he said.