Xi calls for more jobs for youth, migrant workers

Chinese President Xi Jinping attends a signing ceremony with President of Equatorial Guinea Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, May 28, 2024. (AP)
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Updated 29 May 2024
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Xi calls for more jobs for youth, migrant workers

  • (We should) insist that employment of young people including college graduates is a top priority: Chinese president

BEIJING: China’s President Xi Jinping called on Monday for efforts to promote high-quality and sufficient jobs for college graduates and migrant workers, while presiding over a Politburo group study session, state media Xinhua reported on Tuesday.

“(We should) insist that employment of young people including college graduates is a top priority,” the Xinhua report quoted Xi as saying at a group study session of the Politburo, a top decision-making body of the ruling Communist Party.

The Xinhua report did not give details on job promotion support measures or plans.

The survey-based jobless rate for 16-24 year-olds, excluding college students, was 14.7 percent in April, down from 15.3 percent in March, official data showed last week.

China’s statistics bureau revised its methodology by removing college students from the survey pool after youth jobless rate surged to around 20 percent last year.

Xi also said the government should take steps to promote the employment of migrant workers, guide them to return to their hometowns and for people to start businesses in the countryside.

He called for stabilizing the income of people who had been lifted out of poverty and preventing large-scale return to poverty due to unemployment, Xinhua said.

Companies and industries with strong job creation capabilities will be supported, the report said.

China created 4.36 million new urban jobs in the first four months, Human Resources Ministry data showed, 36 percent of its annual job creation target.


Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,947 

Updated 19 February 2026
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Closing Bell: Saudi main index closes in red at 10,947 

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index dipped on Thursday, losing 208.20 points, or 1.87 percent, to close at 10,947.25. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.80 billion ($1.28 billion), as 14 of the listed stocks advanced, while 253 retreated. 

The MSCI Tadawul Index decreased, down 25.35 points, or 1.69 percent, to close at 1,477.71. 

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 217.90 points, or 0.92 percent, to close at 23,404.75. This came as 24 of the listed stocks advanced, while 43 retreated. 

The best-performing stock was Musharaka REIT Fund, with its share price up 2.12 percent to SR4.34. 

Other top performers included Al Hassan Ghazi Ibrahim Shaker Co., which saw its share price rise by 1.18 percent to SR17.20, and Saudi Industrial Export Co., which saw a 0.8 percent increase to SR2.51. 

On the downside, Abdullah Saad Mohammed Abo Moati for Bookstores Co. was among the day’s biggest decliners, with its share price falling 9.3 percent to SR39. 

National Medical Care Co. fell 8.98 percent to SR128.80, while National Co. for Learning and Education declined 6.35 percent to SR116.50. 

On the announcements front, Red Sea International said its subsidiary, the Fundamental Installation for Electric Work Co., has entered into a framework agreement with King Salman International Airport Development Co. 

In a Tadawul statement, the company noted that the agreement establishes the general terms and conditions for the execution of enabling works at the King Salman International Airport project in Riyadh.  

Under the 48-month contract, the scope of work includes the supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of all mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems.  

Utilizing a re-measurement model, specific work orders will be issued on a call-off basis, with the final contract value to be determined upon the completion and measurement of actual quantities executed.  

The financial impact of this collaboration is expected to begin reflecting on the company’s statements starting in the first quarter of 2026, the statement said. 

The company’s share price reached SR23.05, marking a 2.45 percent decrease on the main market.