New industries to help boost employment

"People will live a well-off life when most people in this country have jobs and income. The country will be stronger as well," he added.

The first eight months saw more than 10 million jobs created for urban residents, according to figures by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

The unemployment rate in urban areas is also at a record low, which is accredited by experts to the contribution of new industries and businesses.

Industrial restructuring and upgrading has provided new momentum for employment, especially the service sector that made up 43.5 percent of the country's GDP last year, said Li Chang'an, a professor of public management at the University of International Business and Economics.

New industries, such as internet-based sectors, are new sources for job seekers with millions of people making a living working for these industries, he said.

For example, express delivery services employ more than 2.6 million people around the country, thanks to thriving online shopping, he added.

Meanwhile, new industries offer alternatives to help disadvantaged groups. Last year, 160,000 people with disabilities ran online shops at Taobao.com to earn 12.4 billion yuan ($1.98 billion) in revenue, according to a report jointly released by the China Disabled Persons' Federation and Alibaba Group.

People with disabilities are sometimes wrongly believed to be lacking the skills to make money, said Xia Xueluan, a professor of sociology at Sanya University in Hainan province.

"But online shopping has made a difference for them and they should be shown respect to be brave enough to embrace the new opportunities," Xia said.

New industries and jobs should be given more time to develop and mature, which demands governmental support such as that decided at Wednesday's meeting, Xia added.

In addition, the meeting also decided to improve vocational education that can meet new demands for the job market, while labor and social security policies should keep in line with the changing labor market. Supervision will be further reinforced over the labor market and the protection of legitimate rights for job seekers.

huyongqi@chinadaily.com.cn