Action plan released for future of skilled labor

China will work on producing more skilled workers by improving its evaluation, training and incentive systems, optimizing the skilled labor force and shaping the nation into a powerhouse in manufacturing.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security released an action plan on Monday, setting a target of producing another 40 million skilled workers. This group of skilled workers is planned to account for 30 percent of the nation's total workforce over the 14th Five Year Plan (2021-25) period.

The ministry said the nation has over 200 million skilled workers as of the end of 2020, among whom those with higher skills only take up 30 percent - about 58 million. The nation is on track to train more qualified skilled workers to address the increasing need for talent as it is shifting to a high-quality development model.

According to the action plan, the population of highly skilled workers in eastern provinces such as Zhejiang and Jiangsu will account for 35 percent of the nation's total skilled workers in the next five years.

The proportion of highly skilled workers in central and western areas is projected to grow by two to three percent, the action plan said.

The country will also give more supporting policies to the group over the period of the 14th Five-Year Plan in their evaluation, training courses and competition. The group is encouraged to start their own businesses and make innovation a key development force.