During the forum on the construction of a harmonious society in Chengdu on July 10 to 11, a China.org.cn staff reporter interviewed employment experts and visited the city's Employment Service Center to find out about services offered to people out of work there.

The employment service's new building was built last July to improve its ability to provide assistance to people seeking work and is one of three service centers in Chengdu, capital of Sichuan Province.

Its first floor is an employment training center. Zhou Yuanhong, director of the Chengdu Labor and Employment Bureau, said training is open to all, but mainly attracts laid-off workers and farmers who have lost their land.

After training they get certification granted by the Ministry of Labor and Social Security and can choose to either learn more or look for a job.

There are many courses: needlework, hairdressing, home appliances, computing and electrician's training. A new bartending course, opened in June, is the only one in southwest China.

Locals come to the center to get free services from trainees, such as haircuts.

The second floor is the recruitment hall, separated into three departments: overseas recruitment, domestic recruitment and career guidance.

The overseas recruitment department is free for foreign companies, but workers who successfully get jobs through it pay for the service. So far, over 200 people have been employed abroad in this way, and Zhou said most have been skilled rather than unskilled workers.

The domestic recruitment service is free to both employers and employees. Employers post their requirements in a big screen and clerks keep their information in the system for five days. Interview rooms are provided for companies to recruit people as easily as possible, and there are specialized services for women, graduates and other groups.

The career guidance office provides free evaluation and advice about dozens of occupations for job seekers, and employers can also get help assessing applicants.

The municipal government's program gives the unemployed a chance to be more active in solving their problems.

"Employment needs to take a long view. The government should consider it from the standpoint of sustainable development," Tian Xiaobao, president of Chinese Academy of Labor and Social Security, said at the Chengdu forum.

"Are their jobs stable? Can they get their salaries on time? Can they get back as much as they paid out? Can they express their opinions about their work? Can they freely choose their career?" he asked.

Tian praised Chengdu's government for its work in improving employment and social security for laid-off workers and landless farmers.

(China.org.cn by staff reporter Chen Lin, July 16, 2005)