Category News of China

China’s bosses criticized over high pay

Under chairman Jiang Jianqing, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China raked in $38.5bn in net profits last year, making it the world’s most profitable bank. For his efforts, Mr Jiang was paid $185,000, less than 1 per cent of the overall package awarded to Lloyd Blankfein, chairman of Goldman Sachs.

Mr Jiang fared well compared with other Chinese financiers — he was the best paid among the bosses of the country’s biggest banks.

Chinese executives at state-owned groups have long been among the lowest paid of their global peers, according to their officially declared salaries. But even their apparently meagre pay generates controversy at a time when executive salaries at public companies globally attract scrutiny.

In China, it is not a case of shareholder revolt — the government is the controlling shareholder of virtually all major Chinese companies and has the power to easily change salaries. Rather, public anger about inequality and corruption has made executive pay a focus for media attacks, even from official outlets.

The government-run Xinhua news agency said in an editorial: “If the top executives of state-owned companies just fatten themselves, giving themselves high salaries and rich benefits, this is a departure from the original intent of the founding of these companies.”

The People’s Daily, the mouthpiece of the Communist party, said: “High pay for high-level executives and low pay for ordinary employees is immoral.

“If the pay for high-level executives is severely out of balance with the pay for ordinary employees, then the management has a problem.” The harshest criticism was directed at China International Marine Containers. Net profits fell by 47 per cent last year, but group president Mai Boliang was the best paid of the top managers of the country’s state-owned companies, pulling in $1.6m. The People’s Daily noted that salaries of CIMC’s top executives had risen 13-fold in the past four years, while the average pay for employees rose just 32 per cent.

Executives at other state-owned groups cut their pay because of poor performance. Wei Jiafu, chairman of China Cosco, China’s biggest shipper, decided to take home $97,000, half of what he was due, after the company lost $1.5bn.

It is an unpopular view, but some Chinese academics and analysts say the main problem with executive pay at state-owned companies is that much of the time it is too low.

Tang Jie, a researcher at Renmin university’s school of finance, says the government has tried to develop better incentive systems at state-owned companies by linking pay to performance, but that it is some way off from achieving this.

“This issue derives from the history of the government’s management of state-owned companies. Executive pay is very low when compared to their contributions, their abilities and their responsibilities,” says Mr Tang. “State-owned companies need professional managers. They should be paid according to market standards, with compensation adjusted according to objective performance criteria.”

Proponents of better executive pay point to the idea of gaoxinyanglian — the theory that higher salaries could be used as a way to discourage corruption.

The fall of Communist party leadership hopeful Bo Xilai last year, exposed the extent to which officials have enriched themselves despite small salaries. Mr Bo’s official pay was $1,600 a month, but his family had net assets of $130m, according to Bloomberg.

Even in cases without extreme corruption, Chinese corporate executive have grey sources of income. Top bankers have low official salaries and small bonuses, but they often receive homes, cars, free schooling and more.

Fabrice Isnard, head of financial services in the Shanghai office of Robert Walters, a recruitment consultancy, says foreign banks in China can rarely afford to lure talent away from local banks because of the way pay is structured.

“We have seen that at local banks, senior positions have better packages than [at] foreign banks,” he says. “If you add up all the benefits it becomes too expensive for the foreign banks to hire them.”

China’s air pollution scaring away expat executives

Exits of top foreign managers amid health fears predicted to rise in future

Whitney Foard Small loved China and her job as a regional director of communications for a top automaker. But after air pollution led to several stays in hospital and finally a written warning from her doctor telling her she needed to leave the country, she packed up and moved to Thailand.

In doing so, the Ford Motor Co. executive became another expatriate to leave China because of its notoriously bad air. Other top executives whose careers would be boosted by a stint in the world’s second-largest economy and most populous consumer market are put off when considering the move.

Executive recruitment firms say it is becoming harder to attract top talent to China — both expats and Chinese nationals educated abroad. The European Chamber of Commerce in China says foreign managers leave for many different reasons, but that pollution is almost always cited as one of the factors — and is becoming a larger concern.

If the polluted skies continue, firms may have to fork out more for salaries or settle for less qualified candidates. Failure to attract the best talent to crucial roles could result in lost commercial opportunities and other missteps.

Poor air quality has also added to the existing complaints foreign companies have about operating in China. Even though the country’s commercial potential remains vast, groups representing foreign firms say doing business is getting tougher due to slowing though still robust economic growth, limits on market access and intellectual property theft.

China’s rapid economic development over the last three decades has lifted hundreds of millions out of poverty but also ravaged the environment as heavy industry burgeoned and car ownership became a badge of status for the newly affluent. Health risks from pollution of air, water and soil have become a source of discontent with Communist Party rule.

Foreigners regularly check the air quality readings put out by the U.S. Embassy and consulates on their Twitter feeds when deciding whether to go out for a run or let their children play outside.

The pollution has become even more of a hot topic since January, when the readings in Beijing went off the scale and beyond what is considered hazardous by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

At the same time, China’s state media gave unprecedented coverage to the pollution following months of growing pressure from a Chinese middle class that has become more vocal about the quality of its air.

“January was probably the worst,” said Australian Andrew Moffatt, who worked in Beijing before the pollution pushed him to return to Brisbane in March with his wife and 5-year-old son. “Back in November I had been sick and then we went on holiday to the beach in Hainan, and it just reminded me of Australia and I just thought we could be breathing this quality air every single day rather than polluted air in Beijing.”

And it’s not only in the capital where the air pollution is driving expats away.

Ford transferred its regional headquarters from Bangkok to Shanghai in 2009. Four months after the move, Small had her first major asthma attack. “I had never had asthma in my life, never ever had asthma before China,” said Small, who quit the country in May last year.

Her asthma was exacerbated by an allergy to coal, which is the source of about 70 percent of China’s energy. In Shanghai, the problem resurfaced. “Three hospitalizations later, my doctor said it was time to call it quits,” she said.

Her frequent treatments — involving inhalers, steroids and a nebulizer in the mornings and evenings to get medication deep into her lungs — meant the medication became less effective. “I actually got a written warning from my pulmonary doctor and it said you need to reconsider for your life’s sake what you’re doing and so that was it. I didn’t really have a choice, my doctor made it for me,” she said.

Ivo Hahn, the CEO of the China office of executive search consultants Stanton Chase, said that in the last six months, air pollution has become an issue for candidates they approach. “It pops up increasingly that people say, ‘Well, we don’t want to move to Beijing’ or ‘I can’t convince my family to move to Beijing,’ ” he said.

Hahn thinks this trend will only strengthen over the next one or two years because the highest-level executives generally “are not working primarily for their survival.” Such employees, he said, “normally get a decent pay, they are generally reasonably well taken care of, so the quality of life actually does matter, particularly when they have children.”

Some, however, say that China has become too important economically for up-and-coming corporate executives to ignore. It generates a large and growing share of profits for global companies while still offering a vast untapped potential.

“It’s increasingly important for people who want to have careers as managers in multinational companies to have international experience, and as part of their career path and in terms of international experience, China is one of the most desirable places because of the size of the market and growth and dynamism of the market,” said Christian Murck, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in China.

Hahn said the effects of expats refusing to relocate to China aren’t going to be felt overnight, but eventually “either companies will have to pay a higher price overall because maybe candidates may have to commute, as an example, or they may lower their standards or they may offer the position to somebody who may actually not be quite as qualified.”

If the trend worsens, it would have some economic impact, said Alistair Thornton, senior China economist at IHS in Beijing.

“Expats contribute almost nothing to China’s growth because the numbers are just tiny, but intangibly they contribute quite a significant amount” by introducing foreign technology, best practices and Western management techniques “that Chinese companies are harnessing and using to drive growth,” said Thornton.

He is leaving Beijing in June, citing air pollution as one of the factors.

Theater firms scramble for managers

Rapid expansion has left the industry short of qualified professionals, Huang Ying reports.

The rapid expansion of movie theaters in China has boosted box office revenues as well as spurred a huge demand for theater management specialists.

The boom began in 2010, when box office receipts exceeded 10 billion yuan ($1.61 billion) for the first time. The number of theaters surged from 2,000 in 2010 to 2,800 in 2011, up 40 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from EntGroup Consulting, a Beijing-based entertainment industry consultancy. The rapid increase in the number of theaters resulted in a shortage of qualified managers.

“During rapid economic development, the availability of human resources tends to lag behind industry growth,” said Han Jian, associate professor of human resource management at China Europe International Business School.

A qualified manager must understand all aspects of running a theater, including operations, marketing, finance and screening, which is why it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to develop such skills, Han said.

Liu Cuiping, research manager at the Beijing-based entertainment consultancy EntGroup Consulting, said, “Nowadays, most movie theater managers are sourced from other sectors, such as hotel management, business administration and finance.”

For example, Xu Qiong, general manager of Bingo Cinema in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, said that she entered the industry after leaving her managerial position at Procter & Gamble Co.

The shortage of qualified candidates has left theaters fighting for recruits.

Li Hui, assistant general manager of Omnijoi International Cinema in Xi’an, Shaanxi province, said: “I receive many calls inviting me to join other theaters. It’s not unusual in our line of work.”

Li began working in theaters in 2005 and has held different positions, such as waitress, ticket clerk and snack saleswoman.

Wang Guangmin, director of human resources and administration at Beijing Megabox Zhongguan Cineplex Co, which owns and operates two theaters in the city, said, “Qualified theater management candidates have a wide range of options when seeking job offers.”

The competition for managers has led to a high turnover rate.

Some candidates seek higher positions and higher pay, but once they are hired, sometimes their skills are insufficient for their added responsibilities, said Li Yunling, training director of operations at a theater owned by Hainan Airlines Co Ltd.

“Those people just use their previous work experience as a bargaining chip for higher positions and better pay,” Li added.

Liu from EntGroup said the turnover rate in the theater business is high because of strong market demand yet low wages, especially in second- and third-tier cities.

Some managers leave for other theaters, while some leave the industry entirely, Liu said.

Yin Gang, president of Cine Asia (Shanghai) Ltd, a theater solutions and services consultancy, said, “Competition for competent theater managers results in higher operation costs, which is undoubtedly detrimental.”

In the movie industry, theaters have more clout than film production and distribution companies, said Cai Ling, a cultural industry researcher with CIC Industry Research Center, a Shenzhen-based consultancy. The high managerial turnover rate in the sector will have a negative influence on the industry’s development, he added.

In order to retain the managers they already have and to keep qualified candidates waiting in the wings, theaters have come up with different strategies.

Some train their employees as potential theater managers in advance, so as to fill vacancies in newly opened outlets or to respond immediately to unexpected turnovers, Liu said.

“We try not to recruit managers from outside our company. We prefer to maximize the potential of our own employees through proper training,” Wang from Beijing Megabox said.

Lu Yi, business manager of Shanghai-based Century Universal Film Network Development Co Ltd, which operates 20 theaters across Shanghai, Beijing and Jiangsu province, said: “Although our company is not big, our turnover rate is small. Most of our theater managers have witnessed the development of the company and have become emotionally attached to it.”

Yin from Cine Asia said, “The fundamental solution to the shortage is education, but currently, only a few Chinese universities and colleges offer theater management as a field of study.”

Beijing Film Academy began offering courses in theater management in 2010 in response to the widening gap between supply and demand.

“As far as I know, it is the only example of theater management studies at the university level in China,” Liu from Entgroup said.

The number of movie theaters increased to 3,680 by the end of 2012 from a year earlier, up 31.4 percent year-on-year, according to statistics from EntGroup.

National box office revenues reached 17.07 billion yuan last year, registering a year-on-year growth of 30.18 percent. Ticket sales from 25 theater chains exceeded 100 million yuan, of which six generated sales worth more than 1 billion yuan each, according to the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.

Seyfarth Shaw Opens Office in Shanghai

Chicago-based labor and employment law firm Seyfarth Shaw announced on Wednesday their launch of a new office in Shanghai, China. The law firm intends the Shanghai office to function as a work hub covering the entire of Asia. The office in Shanghai will be managed and led by Wan Li from DLA Piper, who is one of the most high-profile China practitioners. The Shanghai office is Seyfarth Shaw’s second office outside the USA. The other one is in London.

J. Stephen Poor, the chairman and managing partner of Seyfarth said, “Opening our Shanghai office is part of aligning our international services with the needs of our clients … In speaking with our clients during the last 12 months, there has been overwhelming feedback for us to open an office in Shanghai to support our clients in some of our core practice areas. We are delighted to open the Shanghai office to help us better serve our clients in China.”

Darren Gardner, the chair of Seyfarth’s International Practice said, “It is an exciting development for us to open our office in Shanghai. This is an important next step in the evolution of our international service model, following the very successful opening of our London office in 2011.”

Speaking on the recruitment of Wan Li, Gardner said, “We are very pleased to welcome Wan Li to the firm. He is an experienced and highly-respected member of the Chinese legal community who we have known and worked closely with for mutual clients over a long period of time. We are very much looking forward to building out our team around him, especially in the employment and corporate practice areas.”

The new office of Seyfarth Shaw will be in Shanghai’s “Jing An” business district and located in the Jing An Kerry Centre Tower II.

51job, Inc. Files Annual Report on Form 20-F

51job, Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS), a leading provider of integrated human resource services in China, announced today that its annual report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2012 has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The annual report on Form 20-F can be accessed through 51job’s investor relations website at http://ir.51job.com.

The Company will provide a hard copy of its annual report on Form 20-F, which includes its audited financial statements, free of charge to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be directed to the Investor Relations Department at Building 3, No. 1387, Zhang Dong Road, Shanghai 201203, People’s Republic of China.

About 51job
51job, Inc. (Nasdaq: JOBS) is a leading provider of integrated human resource services in China with a strong focus on recruitment related services. Through online recruitment services at www.51job.com and print advertisements in 51job Weekly, 51job enables enterprises to attract, identify and recruit employees and connects millions of job seekers with employment opportunities. 51job also provides a number of other value-added human resource services, including business process outsourcing, training, executive search and compensation and benefits analysis. 51job has a call center in Wuhan and a nationwide sales office network spanning 25 cities across China.
SOURCE 51job, Inc.

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Watchdog seeks ‘porn appraiser’

Got an eye for the obscene? A Chinese company is advertising a position that would require the successful candidate to spend his or her days trawling the Web for pornography.

Applications are flooding in for the job, which pays an annual salary of 200,000 yuan ($32,400), while the ad has aroused much discussion among netizens.

Safety Alliance, an organization that aims to clean up the online environment, published the job ad on Sina Weibo, a popular Chinese micro-blogging website, on April 10, in which it seeks to recruit a chief appraiser who can identify obscene information on the Internet.

Besides this post, the alliance is also seeking Web editors and professionals who can identify fraud and malware online.

“But the position specializing in tackling online pornography is the most popular among applicants,” said Yang Jilong, the alliance’s human resources chief, adding that the organization is still under preparation and will be formally established next month.

The post requires applicants to have an ability to identify obscenity and pornography online and have a good knowledge of foreign languages and laws, according to Yang.

By Wednesday, the advertisement on the alliance’s micro blog had been forwarded almost 130,000 times, and around 300,000 people left messages requesting further information about the job, he said.

The alliance has received more than 5,000 resumes, most for the position of the chief porn appraiser, Yang said.

Nearly 800 companies, including Baidu, Tencent and China Merchants Bank, have become members of the alliance, which aims to crack down on obscene information and explore better ways to prevent netizens, especially young people, from accessing unhealthy websites.

“As we find vulgar information and safety risks on websites, we’ll remind Web users with an online label, while for those that we’re not sure about, we’ll ask law school professors and government administrators for help,” he said.

The alliance has five employees to do selection work, “but we need a team leader, which is why we posted the ad”, he said.

Cai Yifan, a 23-year-old applicant from Nanjing, Jiangsu province, said he heard about the job through Tencent Weibo and had already sent his resume.

The graduate, who majored in English and is proficient in Japanese, took part in an online test for the job, but claimed it was too difficult.

“The questions covered many fields, such as translation, legal knowledge and psychology. I’m interested in the job, but my chances of success are very small, as the standards were too high,” he added.

Another applicant, who wished to remain anonymous, agreed. He said one of questions required them to name works of art that are often regarded as pornographic.

“But I think that people’s opinions vary widely on an issue like this,” he added.

Yang Shuo, a specialist with a decade of experience in cyber management, is not optimistic about the effectiveness of the new post, saying it is hard to distinguish unhealthy information.

Many Web companies employ people to select and delete obscene messages, “but it’s impossible to classify all information online, because there is no legal definition of pornography in China,” he explained.

Some foreign websites required users to provide their age or identity if they want to access certain content, said Yang Shuo.

“In this way, the website can confirm whether the user is a minor or not, and then provide suitable information for him or her,” he said.

But Liu Honghui, a Beijing lawyer specializing in online cases, said that the new post would help to clean up China’s online environment.

“Although there are no standards and the alliance’s appraisal may not be authorized, it’s still a good move. The increasing number of applicants means more people hope cyberspace can be a healthier place,” he added.

Huaxi residents urged to spend locally

Residents of one of China’s richest villages have been encouraged to spend at a loss-making local five-star hotel in Jiangyin, Jiangsu province.

Longxi International Hotel, which is located in Huaxi village, is noted for its luxury finishes, such as a sculpture of a bull in its lobby made of 1 metric ton of gold.

The hotel and cost 3 billion yuan ($485 million) to build – and that figure is taking its toll.

According to deputy general manager Dai Liming, the hotel can barely make ends meet even though it posted revenue of 150 million yuan in 2012 on the back of more than 2 million tourist visits to the village that year.

To solve the problem, the Huaxi government – which has a stake in the hotel – has given residents discount coupons that can only be used in the village, including its shopping centers and the hotel.

Many villagers choose to live in the hotel for as long as a month, according to Dai.

Wu Xie’en, chief of the village, said that Huaxi is going through an industrial upgrade and that any deficit in its traditional industries, such as tourism and hotels, should be accepted as a normal phenomenon.

Expats rank attractive Chinese cities

Results of the 2012 Amazing China – The Most Attractive Chinese Cities for Foreigners survey were released. Expats chose Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen and others as China’s 10 most attractive cities for foreigners.

The cities that made the top 10 list are: Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Kunming, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Tianjin, Xiamen and Qingdao.

Launched in September 2012, the voting invited 175,400 expats over the past year to appraise their favorite Chinese cities, and 1,050 have been polled for their opinions on four categories: policy, administration, working and living environments.

The expats polled in the survey conducted by International Talent Magazine include Chinese Friendship Award recipients, foreign scholars and scientists selected for the Recruitment Program of Global Experts, and other foreign professionals working in China. Those polled suggested many ways for Chinese cities to become more appealing destinations for global professionals.

*Shanghai*

“My impression is that essentially everywhere in China people are very friendly and helpful and medical care is perfect for foreigners, natural environment is great and its protection is well recognized as a major task today for the future. So, every one of those 49 cities should have been mentioned essentially for every category.

The main future task for China is probably coping with migration, and improving life andschooling in the countryside. But also this you know very well.” — German mathematician Andreas Dress

*Beijing*

“It’s pretty easy for foreigners to live in a nice city, and the people in China are very friendly. I am enjoying my life in Beijing.” —Former NBA player Stephon Marbury

*Shenzhen*

“Shenzhen government has been very productive about attracting, retaining and supporting foreign talent, more so than elsewhere I have seen in China.

The social and environmental infrastructure in Shenzhen is very attractive to foreigners. Transportation links and the proximity to Hong Kong are also most valuable.” —British financial expert Richard David Jackson

*Suzhou*

“Since modernization started in China, Suzhou’s local government has been putting a great emphasis on investment, scientific research and other development projects.

Technology and Innovation park’s traffic is convenient, the park is close to Shang-hai. Its environment is good, clean, quiet, which is suitable for the development of the company.

Local residents are industrious and sincere, moreover, local government can timely care about our development, timely solve our difficulties in any side.” —Russian physician Teplukhin Vladimir

*Kunming*

“The city is well managed by the local government, and they are concentrating on making it a better city for all its citizens, including foreigners.” —New Zealand garden manager Lewis William Dagger

*Hangzhou*

“Hangzhou people are simple, friendly and kind. Hangzhou government at all levels is very practical and diligent. They respect knowledge, talent and creation.” —German expert Bruno Klaus Filter

*Nanjing*

“Nanjing?from my first visit in 1987 , to now in 2012 has developed into a cosmopolitan city while maintaining Chinese culture and charm.” — American expert Bikram S. Gill

*Tianjin*

“Tianjin, as a famous city, is historical, cultured, environmental, and most important city, which is very suitable to live in. I love Tianjin and regard Tianjin as my second hometown, and I will spread propaganda for Tianjin. I love Tianjin, wish a bright future for Tianjin, and wish happiness for the people of Tianjin.” — Russian expert Eugeny Kaspersky

*Xiamen*

“I think Xiamen is one of the most attractive cities for foreigners who work in China. The city is very nice and wonderful, and this place is a very safe place for foreigners and their families.” —South Korean engineer Won Ho Moon

*Qingdao*

“Qingdao City possesses a very good, quick-developing infrastructure, which combine with a beautiful architecture landscape ensemble and nature color.

I can see Qingdao City as a fine place for realization of creative projects, business, rest.” —Russian expert Vladimir Kabanov

General labor shortage hits China

Recruitment for general laborers has become tight for factories in East China’s coastal areas, according to a report by Economic Information Daily.

Visits to industrial parks in Shanghai and recruitment sites in Baoshan, Jiading and Zhabei district found that the market demand for skilled workers can be satisfied after the Spring Festival, but it is very difficult to get general laborers.

“We need about 20 workers, and the salary we offer is quite competitive even for low-level workers. Not until the recruitment is half through, we have got all the technical workers we need, while over half of the general workers we need are still lacking,” said Jin Tao from the Human Resources Department of Shanghai Shuanggang Warehouse Co. “Low requirements in skills and harder work for assembly-line positions make it less attractive to the new generation of migrant workers.”

Demand for proficient workers at production lines is highest for enterprises, according to a survey by local labor and human resource departments.

“In order to get people, companies had to give intermediaries 500 yuan in fees every time they introduced a worker,” said Xu Jiangao, director of labor and social security center at Shanghai Xinzhuang Industrial Park.

New generations of migrant workers in pursuit of decent employment, the narrowing wage gap between east coast and the central and west regions, and the soaring commodity prices on the east coast all contribute to recruitment difficulties.
Compared with the first generation of migrant workers, employment expectations of the new generation have increased. In addition to remuneration, they pay more attention to the quality of employment, life experience and the realization of life values.

Wang Yong, of Guizhou, who came to Shanghai, wants to find a job that is technological, challenging and promising. “My first choice is administration work, and then technological work. General workers have no prospect for my career, I won’t be such a worker anymore.”

Due to the higher cost of living in economically developed areas, performance ratio of income and expenditure compared to the central and western regions seems lower, which makes it less attractive to low-skilled workers.

In addition, because of the higher level of social security in developed areas, labor cost is actually higher, which makes it difficult for some companies to give raises to general workers.

Zeng Xiangquan, dean of the School of Labor and Human Resources at Renmin University of China, said that the Lewis turning point has come to China’s labor market.

The Lewis turning point is a concept by economist William Arthur Lewis. After surplus rural labor transfer is completed, the employment population will not be able to keep up with labor demand.

According to estimates, 16- to 24-year-old youth labor in China will decrease from 120 million in 2006 to 60 million in 2020, and the “golden” working population of 25 to 55 would fall significantly starting in 2015, which determines the labor market, especially the low-end labor market.

Experts believe that, after the Lewis turning point, China’s demographic dividend will gradually subside, and structural imbalance of the labor market will further be highlighted.

It will effectively increase the labor supply if the country can lower the household registration threshold and provide the same health care, pension and children’s education to migrant workers, said Cai Fang, director of the Institute of Population and Labor Economics, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

As for the demand for “decent employment” by migrant workers, the government should promote concepts and values for different professions and reduce unnecessary labor mismatches, said Zhao Dejian, who is in charge of the Joint Meeting Office of Shanghai Migrant Workers.

More disabled people newly employed in 2012

New progress has been made in the employment of the disabled, as China created new jobs for 329,000 disabled urbanites in 2012, according to a communique released Sunday.

As many as 299,000 handicapped urbanites received vocational training last year, while the number of vocational training bases inched up to 5,271 from 5,254 in 2011, according to the communique, which was released by the China Disabled Persons’ Federation (CDPF).

According to the CDPF, a total of 16,514 blind masseuses and 4,925 blind medical workers were trained in 2012, with 12,887 massage care institutions and 848 medical massage institutions located across the country.

Employment is crucial for helping China’s massive handicapped population lead normal lives.

Statistics from the federation show that over 20 million Chinese have hearing disabilities, but a limited number of jobs are open for them in the country’s fiercely competitive job market.

The communique showed that about 3.25 million disabled urbanites joined in the country’s social pension insurance system for urban residents last year, accounting for 58.4 percent of the total disabled urban population.

In addition, about 13.34 million disabled people in rural areas were included in the new rural social endowment insurance system, taking up 63.8 percent of the total disabled rural population, the communique showed.

China’s National Human Rights Action Plan (2012-2015) provides that the country will stabilize and expand employment for the disabled.