Minister Talk: Minister on labour market's development -- From Personnel to resources

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As a veteran working in the field of personnel management, Yin Weimin has long devoted himself to working with people and solving their problems. In this episode of "Minister Talk," Yin describes his busy days after being appointed as the country's first Minister of Human Resources & Social Security.

In March 2008, Yin Weimin moved into the office of the newly-founded Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security. At the time, he had little idea of the challenges lying ahead.

Yin Weimin said, "The pressure was almost crushing because, after all, the social security part of our mission is very important. But we had little experience. Then there was the Sichuan earthquake, followed by the global financial crisis. Both put a lot of pressure on the employment sector. So it was not easy for me when I took the job. In the first half of this year, I barely had any days off. But I still want to take my leaves if nothing is too pressing."

In the early 1980s, talent in China meant people with education levels above senior high school.

Yin Weimin said, "What is a human resource? It means people with the ability to work. If we follow that logic, then talent means people capable of doing creative work. In the past, the definition of talent was the result of separate responsibilities by different ministries. For example, the former Personnel Ministry was responsible for managing government officials, therefore it set up the talent market. The former Labor & Social Security Ministry served the workers, so it established a labor market. In 2003, we held the first work conference on talent management. The meeting extended the definition of talent because participants decided that the old concept could no longer meet the demands of the changing situation."

In March 2008, based on the State Council's newly-implemented reform plan, the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Labor & Social Security were merged to form the Ministry of Human Resources & Social Security.

Yin Weimin said, "Our new concept of talent puts people first and focuses on the roles they play in social and economic activities. The people, after all, are the most basic, most active, and most decisive factor in any society."