Li Qiang Chairs State Council on Employment and Industry
Chinese Premier Li Qiang presided over a State Council executive meeting on June 5 in Beijing, approving a dedicated 15th Five-Year Plan for employment, advancing new industrialization strategy, and drafting legislation to support veterans’ employment and entrepreneurship, according to Xinhua News Agency.
Employment Takes Center Stage
The meeting approved the “Implementation of Employment Priority Strategy 15th Five-Year Plan,” underscoring the urgency of China’s employment situation as the country navigates structural economic transitions. The Chinese government portal reported that the session emphasized employment as “the foundation of people’s livelihood.”
Officials called for strengthening coordination between industrial policy and labor markets, expanding channels for college graduates and other young job seekers, and supporting flexible and new forms of employment. The meeting also stressed the need to enhance vocational training to address the mismatch between educational output and labor market demands.
“Solving the employment problem fundamentally depends on development,” said Li Yu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Personnel Sciences, in comments carried by Xinhua. He called for establishing a “big employment concept” that stabilizes jobs through industry development and expands employment capacity through industrial upgrading.
New Industrialization as a Long-Term Strategy
The meeting framed the advancement of new industrialization as a “long-term strategic task,” directing efforts toward intelligent, green, and integrated manufacturing. Officials identified new-generation intelligent manufacturing as the primary focus, calling for accelerated breakthroughs in key core technologies and enhanced industrial chain resilience.
Xin Yongfei, Director of the Policy and Economics Institute at the China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT), noted that China’s industrial development “has experienced a transition from quantitative accumulation to qualitative improvement, and is now at a critical period of transitioning from big to strong.”
In a separate Xinhua analysis, the meeting’s emphasis on opening up and foreign investment was highlighted, with directives to guide foreign capital toward advanced manufacturing and producer services.
Future Industries: Ambition with Caution
Addressing the development of future industries, the State Council called for increased basic research investment and systematic deployment of original and disruptive technological breakthroughs. However, the meeting also warned against “a rush of activity and blind following of trends,” signaling the central government’s awareness of past inefficiencies in local industrial policy implementation.
Wang Peng, an associate researcher at the Beijing Academy of Social Sciences, noted that China’s future industry cultivation faces challenges including insufficient original innovation capability and incomplete innovation ecosystems.
Pan Helin, an expert with the MIIT Information and Communication Economics Expert Committee, emphasized that “the key to enhancing industrial chain resilience is achieving technological independence and product supply chain substitutability,” identifying advanced process chips, precision instruments, and materials science as China’s weakest links.
Veterans Employment Legislation
The meeting also approved the draft “Regulations on Promoting Employment and Entrepreneurship for Veterans,” combining government support, market guidance, and social assistance to facilitate military-to-civilian career transitions. The legislation provides for educational funding, recruitment support, and skills training for veterans.
Broader Implications
The meeting’s comprehensive agenda reflects Beijing’s integrated approach to addressing interconnected challenges: youth unemployment, technological self-reliance, industrial upgrading, and social stability. The approval of a dedicated 15th Five-Year Plan for employment — the first of its kind — signals the priority the central government places on labor market stability amid ongoing economic restructuring.
As China implements its 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–2030), the directives from this meeting will guide provincial and local governments in balancing industrial ambition with regulatory discipline. Key questions remain regarding implementation timelines, budgetary allocations, and how local authorities will navigate the central government’s call for both aggressive development and cautious restraint in emerging industries.