Employment assistance in urban China: A qualitative study from the youth recipients' perspective

According to the Interim Measures for Social Assistance issued in 2014, employment assistance has been officially designated as one of the eight basic programs in social assistance system in China, and its significance is obvious. However, very little is known about the youth recipients' experiences of employment assistance and the extent to which available forms of employment assistance have been helping them to enter labor market. This article uses a qualitative method to examine employment assistance by analyzing the structure and process elements of activation social assistance paradigm from the perspective of youth recipients. It finds that the employment assistance youth recipients have received as of limited importance to help them get out of social assistance and become self-sufficient. That is to say, current employment assistance in urban China may be limited in activating the youth recipients.