×

China issues five-year employment plan, vows to keep job market stable

By Thomson Reuters Jun 17, 2026 | 4:21 AM

BEIJING, June 17 (Reuters) – China’s State Council, the cabinet, issued ​the country’s next ‌five-year plan for implementing the “employment-first strategy” on Wednesday, pledging to keep ‌the ​job market ⁠broadly stable and ⁠prevent large-scale unemployment risks.

The plan said China would stabilise jobs ​in labour-intensive sectors including light manufacturing, ⁠textiles, foreign ⁠trade and construction, ​while expanding employment in ​services including elderly care, ‌childcare, tourism, catering and others.

China will also adapt to ⁠the development of artificial intelligence to promote employment and ⁠entrepreneurship, ‌explore new forms ⁠of human-machine ​collaboration, ‌and use AI ​to strengthen ⁠job creation and public services.

(Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Ryan Woo; Editing by Alison ​Williams)