Employment stands as the cornerstone of people's livelihoods. The provincial government has recently issued the "Sichuan Province Employment Promotion 15th Five-Year Plan," serving as a guiding blueprint for employment generation across the region during this period. At a recent press conference themed around Sichuan's development trajectory, officials provided a detailed interpretation of this strategic plan for the next five years. The central questions addressed were how Sichuan intends to forge new employment opportunities and make public employment services more accessible, with insights shared by key government department leaders.

Two Key Calculations Reveal Sichuan's Employment Confidence

"Pressure is considerable, yet confidence runs high," remarked Wang Yi, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security, when describing the province's employment landscape during the planning period. The pressure stems from a substantial labor force—sustained above 50 million people—with 25 million migrant workers employed outside their hometowns and roughly 700,000 university graduates entering the workforce annually. This is compounded by an aging population and technological disruption from AI that is exacerbating the mismatch between job seekers and available positions. The foundational confidence, however, rests on the province's stable economic growth and the government's firm commitment to prioritizing employment through consolidated industrial foundations and policy frameworks.

Wang Yi presented two pivotal calculations during the briefing. The first concerns the service sector: the province's service industry added value is projected to surge from the current 3.87 trillion yuan to 5 trillion yuan by 2030. "Such massive growth potential translates directly into job opportunities," he explained, highlighting specific demand hotspots—a 200,000-person shortage in elderly care workers and a 50,000-person gap in home organization specialists. Emerging professions like pet groomers and medical companions are also witnessing increasing demand. The second calculation underscores the new-occupation landscape: with over 1.5 million people already employed in the digital economy, roles such as AI algorithm designers, AI trainers, and electricity aggregation operators are continuously expanding. "These jobs grow alongside industry evolution; those willing to learn and adapt will find their niche," Wang noted.

Given these circumstances, the Plan sets clear targets: cumulative urban new employment exceeding 4.25 million during the planning period, with the urban surveyed unemployment rate controlled around 5.5 percent. Li Hairong, Deputy Director of the Sichuan Provincial Development and Reform Commission, elaborated on the guiding principles as "six enhancements"—more abundant opportunities, fairer environments, optimized structures, improved job matching, harmonious labor relations, and stronger risk management. "This approach not only expands employment capacity, ensuring everyone who wants to work has a place, but also enhances employment quality, providing workers with more stable positions, reasonable incomes, and reliable protections," she stated.

Three Strategic Levers to Generate More Jobs

Wang Yi outlined a three-pronged strategy: expanding positions by aligning with industrial growth, safeguarding existing jobs by supporting enterprises, and creating new avenues by encouraging entrepreneurship. Industry acts as the ultimate source of employment opportunities. "We will leverage new industrial tracks to spawn new career pathways," explained Zhou Yong, Second-Level Inspector of the Provincial Department of Economy and Information Technology. Beyond strengthening high-quality employment within advanced manufacturing, this includes nurturing roles like data annotators and AI trainers. Additionally, job creation will become a key metric in investment and project approvals, ensuring new projects bring new positions. In transforming traditional industries through digitalization, the focus avoids simple automation substitution; instead, it pairs upgrades with worker skill enhancement to stabilize employment and elevate job quality.

Private enterprises remain the primary employment engine, with over 9.2 million registered private entities in Sichuan contributing 92% of urban jobs and 95% of new urban employment. Li Hairong emphasized stronger support for the private sector through enhanced legal protections, cost reduction, and rights safeguards, empowering companies to invest, hire, and retain talent confidently. For instance, digital reforms in land approval will expedite major projects, potentially cutting review times by 15%, alongside efforts to lower commercial electricity and gas costs, easing operational burdens on businesses.

On entrepreneurship, Sichuan will launch an "Entrepreneurship Companion" initiative. "From incubation to financing, venue support to policy guidance, we will accompany entrepreneurs throughout their journey, allowing solo ventures and micro-economies to emerge as driving forces for job creation," Wang Yi said. The province has already released three batches of companion spaces covering 162 locations across ten cities including Chengdu, Zigong, Mianyang, and Suining.

Training Aligned with Demand, Services Delivered to Doorsteps

Addressing the pronounced supply-demand mismatch, vocational training is critical to unlocking employment bottlenecks and resolving structural unemployment. "Improving training quality hinges on two things: precision and practical relevance," Wang Yi stated. Training programs will dynamically track market demand and industrial needs. Sichuan plans to establish 100 specialized technician programs tailored to industry requirements, expanding recruitment for vocational colleges to include youth and migrant workers. Wang cited a recent success: a farmer from Yucheng District, Ya'an, who completed government-organized elderly care training and now earns over 5,000 yuan monthly as a hospital caregiver. Sichuan aims to replicate such stories, planning vocational training for at least 2 million individuals during the five-year period, with 500,000 sessions targeted for this year alone. A list of 1,510 training projects has already been published, encompassing popular fields like internet marketing, drone operation, AI training, elderly care, and infant care, with quarterly updates.

High-quality public employment services are essential for stability. Wang Yi announced plans to establish around 1,000 "doorstep" employment service stations over the next two years in densely populated areas, transport hubs, industrial parks, and commercial centers, creating a "15-minute employment service circle." Services will also integrate into community grid management, ensuring residents access support without leaving their neighborhoods. For vulnerable groups like those lifted out of poverty, dedicated assistance will continue. Xue Bing, Chief Agronomist of the Provincial Department of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, noted that employment income constitutes nearly 70% of income for assisted households, making employment stability crucial to preventing reversion to poverty. Cross-regional and cross-provincial employment support will be a priority in eastern-western collaboration and paired assistance programs. The province will implement regular "aspiration and intelligence" initiatives, planning 1,300 targeted skill training sessions covering over 25,000 individuals this year, aiming for a post-training employment conversion rate exceeding 52%.