China issues guidelines to limit AI job displacement and boost employment

China’s State Council General Office has issued guidelines urging government agencies to mitigate job displacement caused by artificial intelligence, setting out 18 tasks across six areas to adapt to AI development while promoting an employment-friendly economic model, Reuters reported on Friday.

The guidelines call for improving systems to monitor employment risks linked to AI and developing contingency plans to respond to them. They direct support for job transitions and re-employment where AI projects could cause significant disruption to the labour market.

At the same time, the guidelines aim to enhance AI’s positive effects on employment — creating new job opportunities, improving job quality and stimulating entrepreneurship, according to China Daily. They call for targeted career guidance, skills training and job recommendations for workers displaced by AI.

The document also moves to regulate the application of AI in human-resources management, addressing illegal practices stemming from the misuse of algorithms, including discrimination, fraudulent recruitment and privacy infringement.

The six areas covered are boosting AI’s job-creation potential, making AI adoption employment-friendly, improving workers’ digital skills, enhancing employment services, strengthening labour and social-security protections, and monitoring and responding to employment risks, China Daily reported.

Sources: Reuters · China Daily · Economic Times · DevDiscourse