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Shanghai Municipal Labour & Social Security Bureau

Shanghai Municipal Labour & Social Security Bureau (SMLSSB) is one of the departments of Shanghai MunicipaI People's Government. Its main functions as follows

Since 1990s, Shanghai has speeded up economic transformation. Large-scale industrial restructuring and State-Owned-Enterprise (SOE) reform were carried out. The industrial structure has thereby been rationalised, so has the employment structure. The employment in the primary and secondary industry has been lowered gradually, while it has increased in the tertiary industry. Currently, the tertiary industry has become the main absorber of labours.With industrial restructuring and SOE reform, a magnitude of surplus labours were released to the labour market. Meanwhile, with the positioning of employer and employees as the actors on the labour market, the marketable employment system gradually substituted for the old mechanism of the government allocating labour resources. In addition, the hidden unemployment becomes visible. As a result,the number of the registerde unemployed and unemployment rate have been increasing steadily.In recent years, centering around the market-oriented employment system, Shanghai has initiated and carried out proactive labour market policies

Employment Service

Currently, Shanghai set up 435 job agencies, of which 313 are public ones. 40 agencies (including branches) under the labour & social security department have been incorporated into "Shanghai Labour & Social Security Information System" to provide up-to-date job information. The computer network has been extended to more than 100 communities. Any employers and job seekers can get the updated job information at any of the agencies connected. In addition, there are over 2000 career counselors providing one-to-one service, which greatly promotes the matching between the employers and job seekers.

The UrbanUnemployment Scheme

In 1986,Shanghai started to pool retirement wages. In 1993,Shanghai Urban Employee Pension Insurance Rules was promulgated to reform the old system. Under the Rules, social pooling was combined with individual accounts. Employers and employees are obliged to make pension insurance contributions. Eligible retirees can receive their pension benefits.In 1998, according to the Regulations on Establishing a Unified Employee Pension Insurance System by State Council, Shanghai further improves its system. All urban enterprises, government departments and institutions, self-employed are integrated into this unified system, while all labours engaged in whichever remunerative work can make pension insurance ....

Labour & Social Security Management Information System

On the principle of "people-orientated" administration of labor &social security, Shanghai established a three--tiered (the municipal, district/county level and neighborhood level) management information system to achieve "recording lifelong, service lifelong, management lifelong and benefit lifelong".This system covers all aspects of labour & social security, and tracks a labourer through employment till the end of his life for administration and service. For labours, they can, through the network, undertake variety of transactions, such as unemployment registration, claiming unemployment benefits, living allowances, pensions, training registration, labour capability assessment, and inquire relevant information.Meanwhile, this system enables the labour & social security department to collect up-to-date information on employment and social security of employing units and labours. The dynamic management of this information can enhance the scientific decision-making of labour & social security department.The comprehensive labour management subsystem and the social security management subsystem are put into pilot operation in 2002

The District & County Labour & Social Security Bureaus, The District & County Foreign Economic Commissions, Administration Committee of Waigaoqiao Free Trade Zone, Trade and Economic Bureau of Pudong New District, Administration Office of Zhangjiang Hi-Tech Park, Holding (Group) Corporations, The District & County Industry & Commerce Administration Bureaus

The Minimum Wage

	In June 1993, Shanghai started to experiment minimum wage system. In 1995, the Municipal government promulgated the Rules on the Minimum Wage for Workers in Enterprises, symbolizing the establishment of the system in Shanghai. In 2002, the minimum wage of Shanghai is 535 RMB. In August 2001, the minimum wage standard of part-time workers was also established. The existing hourly minimum wage is 4RMB

With deepening of the reform and opening-up of China, Shanghai Labour & Social Security Bureau has greatly enhanced cooperation and exchange with ILO and labour and social security departments of other countries. In 2002, total 76 delegations with 641 visitors visited the Bureau.

These visitors encompass officials from the Labour and Social Security Department of other countries, members of political parties, officials and experts from ILO and other international organizations, officials from foreign Consulate-Generals in Shanghai, foreign correspondents and senior managerial staff of multinational companies, among whom are the Ministers of Labour Departments of Italy, Germany, India, South Africa, the Minister of Facs of Australia, and the Director General of ILO.

In addition, the Bureau has cooperated with ILO and Ministry of Labour of PRC in jointly sponsoring seminars respectively on pension reform, employment promotion, ILO Convention 111 and overseas employment. Through effective international cooperation and exchange, friendly cooperation relations have been established with these countries as well as the ILO.