Gansu rolls out chartered buses to ferry migrant workers directly to new jobs outside province

About 50 migrant workers from Longxi county in Gansu province recently boarded a free bus bound for Nanjing, Jiangsu province, to begin new jobs under a "point-to-point" labor transfer program designed to streamline the return to work after the Spring Festival holiday.

Similar buses organized by the Youzhi Recruitment Human Resources Co have been departing since Feb 22, sending more than 400 migrant workers to jobs outside the province, according to Xue Liaojun, head of the company.

"Before March 8, more than 2,000 workers are expected to head to provinces including Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Sichuan and Shandong for employment," Xue said.

Organized by local human resources and social security authorities, the trips form part of this year's "Spring Breeze Action", a nationwide campaign aimed at stabilizing employment and safeguarding livelihoods during the post-holiday return-to-work peak.

Zhang Xiaobing, who boarded the free bus, said it was his first time taking a job outside his hometown. As an accompanying father who had been staying in the county to support his child's schooling, he previously relied on temporary local work that offered little stability. He learned about the opening through a village WeChat group.

"A free bus picks us up from our doorstep and takes us straight to the factory gate," Zhang said. "As long as you're willing to work, your income is guaranteed."

Shao Dongbing, another passenger, signed up after watching a livestream hosted by human resources companies in the county during the Spring Festival holiday. The job in Nanjing offers a monthly salary of up to 8,000 yuan ($1,167), along with free meals and accommodation. "I hope to improve myself and provide better living conditions for my family," Shao said.

According to Longxi's human resources and social security authorities, 4,378 workers were transferred in 2025 through organized "point-to-point" services by bus and rail.

Employment support has also been strengthened in disaster-affected areas. In Jiuzhuanggou village, one of the villages in Yuzhong county that were struck by severe mountain floods in August, 83 households have moved into newly built resettlement homes.

Wang Jianwu, 63, said 14 rooms in his home were destroyed in the disaster. "We ran to higher ground without even taking our phones,"Wang said. Now living in a 125-square-meter newly built apartment, he described his current life as "very satisfied".

After the flood, local authorities identified 697 affected residents with employment needs and organized five dedicated job fairs, providing more than 7,600 positions. A total of 231 temporary public service posts and 50 urban public welfare jobs were created in Yuzhong county, according to Wang Cheng, deputy director of the county's employment service center.

The temporary posts mainly involve cleaning and greening work at resettlement sites, road maintenance and material handling, with a monthly salary of 1,000 yuan and a service period of six months. The urban public welfare positions offer more stable employment for up to three years, with wages aligned with the minimum wage standard of Gansu.

Wang Jianwu took on temporary work during the construction of the resettlement project. He was responsible for heating the stoves in the 83 newly built houses to dry the wall bricks and speed up construction. Paid 200 yuan per day, he worked for one month starting in October, earning a total of 6,000 yuan.

His daughter-in-law, Ren Guiling, was later hired for an urban public welfare position to maintain public facilities at the resettlement site, earning a monthly salary of 2,130 yuan. Another villager, Wang Yinghua, 38, previously worked as a laborer at the site. After the houses were completed, she was hired for an urban public welfare position.

"The work is lighter and more flexible. I can take care of my family," Wang Yinghua said.

Zhang Xiaodong, head of the Gansu government's labor affairs office, said the province is advancing rural infrastructure projects and expanding employment support workshops to create more jobs locally. By the end of 2025, Gansu had established 2,605 rural enterprises and employment factories, absorbing workers unable to seek jobs far from home.

The province has also fostered 75 provincial-level labor brands, including Lanzhou beef noodle makers and Jingning apple growers, to boost incomes through skills development.

During the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), Gansu transferred 26.13 million rural laborers, generating 781.15 billion yuan in income. In 2025 alone, 5.153 million people were transferred, creating 171.61 billion yuan in labor income.

So far in 2026, nearly 1,800 online and offline job fairs have been held across the province under the Spring Breeze Action, offering more than 900,000 vacancies. More than 800 chartered buses and 150 special train services have transported over 30,000 workers back to their posts, underscoring Gansu's continued efforts to stabilize employment.