China's employment challenges and strategies after the wto accession

"Although China has made impressive progress in economic development and improving social well-being, it is facing many daunting challenges while transforming toward a knowledge and service-based economy and further opening up to international competition after its WTO accession in the context of knowledge revolution. One of the biggest challenges is how to create 100--300 million new jobs in the coming decade to absorb the millions of laid-offs, rural emigrants, and newly added labor force. China has been successful in building high-technology parks and information and communications technology (ICT) industries, but they are limited in terms of employment generation, while most of the traditional labor-intensive industries are losing competitiveness due to low productivity. To combat the unprecedented employment challenge, China must implement a systemic and sustained strategy, which may consist of the following policy thrusts: encouraging the private sector; promoting small and medium enterprises; expanding the service sector; reforming the state-owned enterprises; strengthening the social security system; improving labor market flexibility; and establishing mass retraining programs. This paper--a product of the Knowledge for Development Division, World Bank Institute--is part of a larger effort in the institute to provide country-focused knowledge services for client countries"--World Bank web site.