NANNING, March 27 (Xinhua) -- Under the dual pressures of the coronavirus outbreak and poverty alleviation targets, China has been taking measures to promote employment for the poor population, among which online job fairs have proven to be effective.
"I didn't expect to get a job through my cell phone. I'm satisfied with the post and salary they offered me," said Zhu Fei, a migrant worker from a poor mountainous village in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.
Zhu got a job as a workshop operator in a food enterprise in the city of Zhoushan, in east China's Zhejiang Province, through an online job fair organized by the local government.
He said the local government provided him free transport to Zhoushan and a monthly subsidy of 200 yuan (about 28.29 U.S. dollars) for epidemic prevention for three consecutive months.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics show the total number of migrant workers in China reached 290 million in 2019, while 75 million are working outside their home provinces. Many of them are from poverty-stricken families.
The COVID-19 outbreak made millions of migrant workers like Zhu stay at home after this year's Spring Festival holiday in late January, starving for work to support their families.
Owing to government support, most companies in China have conducted job interviews online, since on-site job fairs have been canceled to avoid mass gatherings.
Deng Shubing, recruitment director of Chinese sportswear group Li Ning Co., Ltd., said the company plans to recruit 1,300 production line workers this year. The goal is now 90 percent achieved.
"Over 80 percent of applicants were recruited online either through online job fairs held by the human resources departments in Nanning or through the video-sharing app TikTok," said Deng.
She added the recruitment in collaboration with local government enables the company to find the workers they need easily.
As of March 19, the human resources and social security departments at all levels in Guangxi have held 850 online job fairs and posted more than 1.5 million jobs for 28,573 enterprises through websites, mobile apps and social media platform WeChat.
Aside from offering job-hunting aid, China also provides posts in public service, ensuring social policy support for disadvantaged groups.
An online job fair was held by Nanning's human resources and social security bureau last week, with posts such as drivers and security guards provided for those with difficulties in finding jobs, said Wei Yudan, an official with the bureau.
