China issued a total of 1.2 billion yuan ($170 million) in skill improvement subsidies from January to June this year, according to the latest data released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

A total of 4.82 million people have obtained vocational qualifications or skill-level certificates, including 1.94 million senior workers and above and 141,000 technicians and above.

This year, the skill improvement subsidy policy has been optimized to better match certificates with job positions. For insurance eligibility, on-the-job enterprise employees who have paid unemployment insurance premiums for more than 12 consecutive months, or recipients of unemployment insurance benefits, are eligible for subsidies upon obtaining one of the three eligible certificate types. The subsidy ceiling is 1,000 yuan for the primary level, 1,500 yuan for the intermediate level, and 2,000 yuan for the advanced level, with one application per person per year.

The three eligible certificate types are as follows:

First, job-matched certificates are those in which the occupational category corresponding to the certificate matches the employing enterprise’s industry category and meets the enterprise's actual production and operation needs.

Second, digital and green vocational skill-level certificates. In accordance with the  Occupational Classification Dictionary of the People's Republic of China (2022 edition), digital vocational certificates marked with the letter "S" and green vocational certificates marked with the letter "L" are included in the subsidy scope.

Third, certificates listed in the local catalog of urgently needed occupations (trades) entitle holders to two additional opportunities to apply for subsidies.

This policy optimization meets the needs of enterprise production, the job market, and industrial development. It further strengthens incentives for skilled talent training and promotes vocational skills upgrading and high-quality industrial development.