Shanghai will adopt a series of measures to stabilize employment, and especially offer support for five extremely difficult industries, according to a plan unveiled by the Shanghai municipal government on Sunday.

For the five industries, including catering, retail, tourism, civil aviation as well as road, water and railway transportation, the payment of corporate social insurance premiums will be postponed from April.

One-time subsidies will meanwhile be issued to enterprises that do not lay off staff in seven industries seriously affected by the COVID-19 outbreaks: catering, retail, tourism, transportation, accommodation, exhibitions, as well as culture, sports and entertainment.

The subsidies are calculated as 600 yuan (about $90) per staff member, and the maximum subsidy for each enterprise is 3 million yuan.

Various talent plans and policies will be actively implemented to support the development of enterprises, and hukou (household registration) policies for talent will be optimized, according to the plan. 

The authorities will continue to take college graduates as a top priority. State-owned enterprises, government agencies and institutions are encouraged to focus on college graduates when recruiting.

Employers in Shanghai who recruit college and university graduates from this year's class, as well as those in Shanghai who have been unemployed for at least three months, will receive a one-time subsidy of 2,000 yuan per person.

The authorities will help enterprises solve problems such as employee recruitment, skills training, and labor relations in a timely manner, and continue to support employers in adopting a shared employment model, the plan also said.