Shanghai offers subsidies, incentives and social security for migrant workers

Human resources and social security authorities in Shanghai are offering up to 300,000 yuan (US$44,400) of transportation subsides for enterprises which use chartered buses to pick up migrant workers back to the city from their hometowns.

Chinese people working away from their hometowns usually return for family reunions during the Spring Festival holiday, and leave again for work after the break, which is a contributing factor to the Spring Festival travel rush, the largest human migration around the world.

To help migrant workers resume work in the city, the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau said it encouraged enterprises to rent buses to pick people up directly from their hometowns between January 28 and February 5, and then offer subsidies to cover half of the costs with a limit of 300,000 yuan.

Enterprises can consult local human resources and social security bureaus for detailed requirements and procedure for application of subsidies.

Meanwhile, some districts are using chartered flights to help migrants travel from their hometowns to Shanghai.

On Monday night, this year's first chartered flight for migrant workers to Shanghai arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport from the autonomous prefecture of the Bai ethnic group in Dali of Yunnan Province. It carried 181 workers to Fengxian District in Shanghai.

The district authorities picked them up from the airport, sent them to enterprises with shuttle buses, and gave them packages of basic living necessities.

Every year after the Spring Festival, Shanghai enterprises show strong demand for manpower. To better connect employers and employees, the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has organized over 160 job fairs online and offline since the beginning of January, offering over 40,000 vacancies, and attracting over 24,000 migrant workers.

More job fairs will be organized, targeting key industries, such as living supplies and logistics, and key groups such as university graduates, long-term unemployed and migrant workers.