Job seekers at a job fair in Changchun, Northeast China’s Jilin Province on March 12 Photo: IC

 
China has rolled out a host of measures to provide support for the jobless and cushion the impact of the coronavirus outbreak, an official said Friday.

By the end of March, the country had allocated 9.3 billion yuan (about 131.58 million U.S. dollars) of unemployment insurance premiums for 2.3 million unemployed persons, said Gui Zhen, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at a press conference.

Meanwhile, 67,000 jobless migrant workers have received 410 million yuan worth of temporary living allowances, Gui added.

China has previously issued a guideline to subsidize unemployed people ineligible for unemployment insurance, or whose unemployment insurance has expired, Gui said, noting that unemployment subsidies have been extended from regions severely hit by the outbreak to the rest of the country and cover all insured unemployed people.

Gui noted that the ministry has taken moves to scale up the coverage of unemployment insurance benefits by application limits, streamlining the processes and facilitating the online services.

China has made employment one of its top policy priorities as it closely relates to people's well-being and the country's economic growth.