[Employment in China: Challenges & Countermeasures] EP4: New Forms of Business Create New Jobs
[Employment in China: Challenges & Countermeasures] EP4: New Forms of Business Create New Jobs
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The sudden outbreak of the coronavirus has challenged the Chinese economy and society. However, it has also created opportunities for some industries.
New modes of business such as e-commerce livestreaming, employee sharing, contactless delivery, online medical consultation, remote education, and online working based on information transmission, software and information technology services emerged or accelerated development.
New jobs and opportunities coming with the new modes of business invigorate the job market and speed up the recovery of China’s economy.
For instance, during the epidemic, 250,000 new apps were added on Alipay, one of China’s leading third-party online payment platforms, which gave birth to 750,000 jobs in app development and operation. Moreover, 1.64 million people already landed jobs through Alipay, 90 percent of whom had previously been in the hardest-hit service sector.
In the first quarter of 2020, China’s information transmission, software and information technology service industries grew by 13.2 percent year-on-year, despite the adverse impact of the coronavirus outbreak on various sectors. New modes of business have achieved leapfrog development.
In 2019, of industrial enterprises above designated size, those in strategic emerging industries and high-tech industries maintained fast growth. The added values of the two sectors increased by 8.4 percent and 8.8 percent, respectively, 2.7 and 3.1 percentage points higher than the average growth rate of all industrial enterprises above designated size.
According to China’s Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the country’s demand for professionals in intelligent manufacturing is expected to stand at 7.5 million in 2020, with a gap of more than 3 million. With the increase of the scales and output values of emerging sectors, this talent gap is expected to continue to expand.
This year’s government work report states that China will encourage the upgrading of manufacturing and the growth of emerging industries. More policies will be introduced in support of new forms of business, and the country will advance Internet Plus initiatives across the board and create new competitive strengths in the digital economy.