China Employment Forum: Global Dialogue and Consensus

Author: International Labour Office of the Ministry of Labour and Social Security
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-08-01
Features: Employment is the foundation of livelihood and the strategy for national stability. China is the largest developing country and also the country with the largest population. For many years, the Chinese government has consistently regarded the promotion of employment as a strategic task for national economic and social development, formulating and implementing a series of policies and regulations to promote employment. It has established a positive employment policy system with Chinese characteristics and created many successful experiences in practice. While achieving sustained, rapid, and healthy economic development, China has also driven employment growth. The scale of employment has continued to expand, the employment structure has gradually optimized, employment channels have been continuously broadened, and employment forms have become more flexible. China's employment growth has made the lives of workers in urban and rural areas more stable, with incomes rising year by year. The achievements China has made in promoting employment have attracted worldwide attention, and the contributions China has made to employment promotion have been praised by countries around the world. Employment is a major issue faced by the world. To further enhance the international community's understanding of China's efforts to promote employment, to provide advice and strategies for China's employment, and to strengthen exchanges and expand consensus among countries in the field of employment to jointly address the global unemployment challenge, the "China Employment Forum" was successfully held in Beijing, China, in April 2004, co-hosted by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security of China and the International Labour Organization. Over 400 participants, including senior government officials from 26 countries and regions, representatives of non-governmental organizations, experts and scholars, and employers from large enterprises, as well as officials from other international organizations, attended the forum. The participants engaged in serious discussions on issues such as economic globalization, promoting employment and eliminating poverty, and promoting employment and labor market development. They exchanged ideas, learned from each other, and actively cooperated, ultimately forming the 2004 China Employment Forum Consensus. We will continue to strengthen exchanges and cooperation with countries around the world and international organizations, learning from, drawing on, and absorbing all beneficial experiences to make unremitting efforts to achieve relatively full employment in China and to promote employment and eliminate poverty globally. To help everyone gain a comprehensive understanding of the general situation and achievements of the China Employment Forum, we have compiled relevant materials from the forum into China Employment Forum: Global Dialogue and Consensus. This book includes speeches by leaders of the Chinese government, keynote reports from the forum, statements by officials from governments, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations, papers by experts and scholars, and the 2004 China Employment Forum Consensus.