The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has announced a series of measures to stabilize employment amid the global financial crisis.

In a circular on Monday, the ministry urged local governments to maintain a stable employment market by strengthening the pre-warning and regulation system on unemployment.

Companies have to seek local labor bureaus' for permission before mass layoffs or stopping recruitment.

The circular encourages State-owned enterprises do their best to minimize the number of layoffs. People who have lost their jobs because of bankrupt enterprises should be given the entire amount of unemployment insurance payment on time.

It calls for development of labor-intensive industries. Local governments should accord priority to developing key enterprises in labor-intensive industries, and improve relevant polices of financial support, credit financing and social service.

The ministry has laid emphasis on efforts to help university graduates, laid-off workers and people in impoverished areas find jobs. Calling for more efforts to implement a pro-active employment policy, it has stressed that laid-off workers of bankrupt enterprises be helped to find jobs.

Local government officials should visit enterprises and communities to register laid-off people, it said.

They should ensure basic living conditions for laid-off people, and provide employment services such as job training and guidance to help them find jobs as soon as possible.

(China Daily November 19, 2008)