E. China county builds 'doorstep' factories to bolster jobs

In East China's Shandong province, Juye county is assisting farmers to increase income and promote rural vitalization by prioritizing industrial vitalization.

Believing that rural small factories can carry the happiness of farmers, Juye has continuously enhanced building town and village-level employment assistance workshops in recent years, enabling more ordinary people to take up jobs at their "doorsteps."

As of now, the county has invested a total of 660 million yuan ($92.9 million) in various funds to build and operate 238 such workshops in 17 towns and sub-districts. With a total construction area of 683,400 square meters, these workshops can drive employment for 35,000 people.

Entering the production workshop of Shandong Cale Smart Home Co Ltd, the sewing machines were running at high speed with a clattering sound, while the workers were processing a batch of bed sheets and duvet covers destined for Japan. Since settling down in Juye's Longgu town two years ago, the enterprise has attracted over 300 villagers from the surrounding area to work there.

Dong Juan, an employee, said: "I have been working here since the factory started. Being responsible for inspecting the craftsmanship, my job here is relatively easy, and the welfare benefits are also good, as I can get a monthly salary between 4,000 and 5,000 yuan."

In Longgu town, there are more than 30 such "doorstep" factories, which can hire over 3,000 nearby villagers every year, and as one of the largest local enterprises in terms of jobs, Juye Wanxin Knitted Clothing Co Ltd has been employing nearby farmers to work in its plant since its production started in 2013.

"Our company mainly produces knitted clothing, including round neck shirts, children's clothing and others, with an annual output of over 4 million units and an output value of more than 30 million yuan," said Chu Nana, office director of Juye Wanxin, adding that this helps more than 500 nearby villagers to find jobs and increase their annual income by over 70,000 yuan.

Villager Liu Sanhuan said: "My family is in a nearby village, and I have been working here for eight years. As the salary is not low and it is also convenient for me to take care of the elderly and the children, the job here is much better than working outside the hometown."

Currently, Juye is continuously attracting and cultivating more private enterprises to settle in the county to let more farmers find jobs at the "doorstep" factories, and effectively solve the problem of balancing "work" and sticking to "agriculture" on the road to a moderately prosperous society in all respects.

According to China's rural vitalization program, it is a "five in one" comprehensive project covering industrial, talent, cultural, ecological and organizational vitalization.