The eastern coastal city of Qingdao, Shandong province has launched a slew of measures and policies to bolster employment to strengthen the country's employment-first policy.

A worker does welding work at a shipyard in Qingdao, Shandong province, in May. [Photo by Wang Haibin/For China Daily]

Employment is pivotal to people's wellbeing, said local authorities. Qingdao has prioritized employment in economic and social development, and has carried out a pro-employment strategy and pursued a more proactive employment policy.

By the end of June, 184,400 new urban jobs had been created in the city, accounting for 52.7 percent of the figure stipulated in its annual plan, while the registered urban unemployment rate was 2.98 percent.

The city has issued a number of detailed policies to support flexible employment, promote market-based allocation of labor factors, and encourage employment and entrepreneurship. The city has implemented policies to help enterprises maintain stable employment, and supported 33,800 people to start businesses.

To address the pressure on employment that has risen significantly because of the COVID-19 outbreak, Qingdao has launched a labor matchmaking platform for local enterprises.

Efforts have been made to promote inter-region labor cooperation, and a special train for labor services between Dingxi, Gansu province and Qingdao has been opened to aid enterprises with recruitment.

Special actions taken to support key groups such as college graduates, rural migrant workers and veterans have benefited 20,400 people.

The city has also focused on skill training to stabilize employment while introducing preferential policies for low-income workers.