China is improving women's training and employment, an official on female and children affairs has said.

 

"Labor departments around the country have helped more than 376,000 laid-off women get new jobs and put 103,000 women on public service posts during recent years," said Huang Qingyi, vice director of the women and children affairs committee of the State Council.

 

More than 270,000 women have received employment training from labor departments, with 154,000 finding jobs or setting up their own businesses, Huang said.

 

Under a national project, the ministries of agriculture, finance, education and labor and social security have jointly organized training of more than three million rural laborers and helped more than 2.6 million find jobs in cities, with women making up 40 percent, she said.

 

However, Huang said, increasing work pressure and underdeveloped unemployment and maternity insurance is still an issue for working women.

 

About 21 percent of rural women in cities were fired after they became pregnant or had a child. A growing number of working women are delaying motherhood for fear of losing jobs or promotion opportunities.

 

(Xinhua News Agency May 8, 2007)