Jiangsu created a total of 696,700 jobs in its urban areas in the first half of this year (H1), the highest among provincial-level regions in China, according to the province’s Department of Human Resources and Social Security. 

Faced with COVID-19 outbreaks and a grim employment situation, Jiangsu has actively implemented the employment-first policy and coordinated efforts for economic and social development amid the pandemic fight. 

A job fair in Sucheng district of Suqian city attracts many job seekers on July 16. Photo/Xiao Weiwei

Zhang Hongwei, deputy director of the department, said Jiangsu set up taskforces at the provincial, municipal and county levels, pooled data from 12 governmental departments for insightful analysis, and kept a close eye on job information in key industries, regions and groups of job-seekers. 

Multifront efforts were also made to ease enterprises' burden. In the first half of this year, Jiangsu’s tax refunds, tax and fee cuts and deferrals reached 270 billion yuan. By the end of June this year, Jiangsu had 13.716 million market entities, an increase of 4.9% year-on-year. 

To facilitate employment of college graduates, the province has also shored up policy support for innovation and entrepreneurship. Departments of Human Resources and Social Security, Education and Science and Technology also worked together to bolster creation of new jobs for graduates. 

Meanwhile, the province improved other assistance initiatives including the internship opportunities for students and cooperation with recruitment platforms. 

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