North China's Shanxi Province will invest at least 20 million yuan (US$2.5 million) a year, from 2006 to 2008, to improve its employment services, said the provincial labor and social security department.

 

An official with the department said the funds will be used to build a provincial labor market and an information network for labor markets throughout the province.

 

The official said the network will reach every township and community to provide services for job seekers.

 

The province will enhance consultation service for job hunters and provide training courses to laid-off workers to help them prepare for new jobs.

 

Shanxi has an aggregation of 1.1 million laid-off workers since 1998, and currently 74,000 of them are still jobless.

 

(Xinhua News Agency January 20, 2006)