China has pledged to ensure that the job market provides fuller and higher-quality employment for people with disabilities, with a focus on protecting their labor rights and assisting college graduates and those in rural areas.

Senior officials say that securing jobs is vital for helping people improve their livelihoods, realize their personal value and share in the benefits of the country's modernization.

The State Council, China's Cabinet, unveiled a new three-year action plan last month to promote employment for people with disabilities. The plan encourages governments at all levels, the human resources market and society as a whole to expand employment and entrepreneurship opportunities for the disabled while protecting their labor rights from 2025 to 2027.

Under the plan, government agencies and State-owned enterprises are required to reserve a proportion of jobs for people with disabilities. Companies are encouraged to create more positions for this demographic as part of their social responsibility, with tax breaks and other financial incentives available to employers who adhere to the directive.

The plan also calls for more employment assistance and skills training for disabled college graduates and people with disabilities living in rural areas.

Nearly 80 percent of China's registered disabled population live in rural areas, requiring targeted attention and support, Tang Ke, an official with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, said on Wednesday at a news conference in Beijing.

"We've closely followed the living conditions of low-income disabled people," Tang said. "For those living in the countryside who have the ability and willingness to work, we will definitely help them find jobs and fulfill their personal value."

Tang said the ministry would guide people with disabilities in rural areas to participate in agricultural production or rural industries, including through leasing land management rights or becoming shareholders. Skilled rural craftsmen will be encouraged to take on apprentices with disabilities, while migrant workers, college graduates, demobilized soldiers and technicians will be encouraged to start businesses in the countryside to generate more job opportunities.

The new action plan builds on progress achieved under a previous three-year plan that ran from 2022 to 2024. During that period, about 1.65 million people with disabilities found jobs in urban and rural areas, according to Li Dongmei, vice-chairperson of the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

Working skills have improved, with about 1.43 million people with disabilities participating in skills training programs during the past three years, Li said. More than 85 percent of college graduates with disabilities have successfully found employment in five consecutive years, she added.

However, Li noted that people with disabilities still face challenges, including unstable employment, low quality jobs and infringement of labor rights, underscoring the need for a follow-up plan to ensure fair treatment in the job market.

Ren Zhanbin, director of the federation's education and employment department, said the new action plan will provide more targeted job services and stronger protections for people with disabilities.

"It urges governments at all levels to diversify their job services for people with disabilities and to improve service efficiency," Ren said. "The plan focuses not only on job openings but also on job suitability, security and stability."

The number of people holding disability certificates and employed in urban and rural areas nationwide reached 9.144 million in 2024, an increase of 512,000 from the previous year, according to the China Disabled Persons' Federation.

[email protected]