Question: How is the employment situation in Xinjiang?
Spokesperson: For quite some time now, certain forces in the world, out of their ideological bias and anti-China agenda, have been smearing Xinjiang's effort to ensure employment and job security for the people by hyping up the allegation of "forced labour". They try to deprive people of the right to pursue a better life through work and contain the steady development of Xinjiang. Such despicable acts should definitely be rejected by everyone who values justice and progress.
Due to its geographical location, history and natural conditions, Xinjiang had been relatively backward in development with more people lived in poverty there than in other places in the country. In accordance with the country's overall policies on employment and poverty elimination, Xinjiang has taken employment as a top priority and fundamental task in its endeavour to improve people's wellbeing. It has made every effort to stabilise and increase employment by all means including self-employment, market adjustment, government facilitation and encouraging start-ups.
In 2020, more than 13 million people were employed in Xinjiang, that is, nearly full employment for both urban and rural residents. The per capita disposable income of urban residents reached 34,838 yuan, 2.41 times of that in 2010, and that of rural residents 14,056 yuan, 2.82 times of that 2010.
In promoting employment, Xinjiang has followed international labor standards and strictly implemented national laws and policies to ensure freedom, equality, safety and dignity for workers of all ethnic groups. Steadfast efforts have been made to improve work place environment and safety. Great care has been taken to help enterprises cultivate a corporate culture that respects, values and rewards every effort of the employees.
Going forward, Xinjiang will continue to put people first in the development and prioritise employment to ensure people's wellbeing, and introduce more proactive policies to create more and higher-quality jobs. These efforts will meet the growing expectation of all ethnic groups for a better life.
