Job seekers try their luck at an employment fair held in Beijing. File photo: IC

China may face its most serious challenge from employment next year as its economic growth slows. But no one should doubt the government's determination to step up support for employment in the face of rising pressure on job security.

It was only on Tuesday that the State Council, China's cabinet, issued a guideline on further stabilizing employment, with an emphasis on preventing and unwinding the risk of large-scale layoffs and ensuring the overall stability of employment.

The document was the latest of the intensive measures China's central government has rolled out this month.

China's employment situation has remained generally stable. According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics, 12.79 million urban jobs were created during the first 11 months of this year, already exceeding the 2019 target of more than 11 million. Meanwhile, the urban unemployment rate nationwide was 5.1 percent in November, unchanged from the previous month.

Yet, these relatively steady figures don't obscure the grim reality of what China's economic slowdown means for employment next year amid growing risks and challenges at home and abroad.

Pressure to stabilize employment is indeed increasing in China as it seems that nearly all aspects of economic development are threatening job security. Take trade prospects, for example. Usually, thriving exports mean more jobs as factories need workers to fill orders on time. But now due to the pressure of the trade war, companies in China are expected to be operating under great pressure, representing great pressure on employment as well. 

In the meantime, while boosting imports may be conducive to consumption upgrading in the Chinese market, it will also mean more competition for domestic industries, to the detriment of employment eventually.

Economists are debating whether China's GDP growth could reach 6 percent in 2020. Even a 6 percent growth rate still marks a slowdown from 2019, which is bound to have an impact on employment.

Some favorable factors may also exert pressure on employment. For instance, elimination of excess capacity and a shift toward intelligent manufacturing have squeezed jobs in some low-end industries.

The stability of employment is closely related to social stability in China. With an unprecedented employed population of 780 million, every step forward in the Chinese economy may affect a large number of employees. That's why authorities particularly stress the importance of preventing large-scale unemployment. The shutdown of one factory could mean the loss of thousands or tens of thousands of jobs.

Nevertheless, China also has favorable factors for dealing with the employment pressure, such as the government's efficiency, the social responsibility of state-owned enterprises, the shift toward the services sector, the market vitality released from poverty alleviation, and companies' export diversification efforts.

The author is a reporter with the Global Times. bizopinion@globaltimes.com.cn