Guangdong aims to help mothers find flexible work

A job fair will open on Saturday in Zhongshan, Guangdong province, to provide employment for mothers raising children under 12 years old.

The fair will feature a special employment zone for mothers who need work, according to the local human resources and social security authorities.

Care services such as mobile rooms for mothers and babies, with dedicated personnel to help look after the infants, will be offered during the fair, according to the event's organizers.

The fair will offer positions in various sectors, including consultants for education and training courses and real estate industry, customer service, manufacturing, delivery and sales, with monthly salaries ranging from 4,000 yuan ($575) to 12,000 yuan.

The fair will follow a new employment model that was adopted in Zhongshan early in 2021, with a flexible working hour system for women.

In July last year, the local human resources and social security authority enacted supporting measures, such as tax reductions, training, employment services and financial subsidies to promote the flexible system for mothers.

Local enterprises hiring women who are raising children under the age of 12 will be offered a monthly subsidy up to 400 yuan per person, with each employee also receiving a flexible employment social security subsidy of 300 yuan per month, the authorities said.

Currently, there are 258 registered enterprises in Zhongshan, providing over 14,000 jobs for eligible women.

The flexible employment model will be promoted across Guangdong, where the provincial Human Resources and Social Security Department recently solicited public input on promoting women's employment.

According to the draft presented by the department, the province will expand the employment space to help find jobs for women within the legal working age who have obligation to raise children under the age of 12.

Under the employment model, the working hours and management mode will make it more convenient for women to take care of their children while holding a job at the same time.

The draft also called on enterprises to create a friendly work environment by establishing special workshops and production lines and providing infant care services for mothers.