Oversight of civil servants, labor law and social security would be placed under one roof as part of a government remodeling plan considered by the 11th National People’s Congress.

The plan to create a new ministry of human resources and social security, which would take over tasks now handled by two ministries -- the Ministry of Personnel, and the Ministry of Labor and Social Security -- was drafted by the State Council and introduced to NPC delegates March 11.

The existing ministries currently manage human resources but focus on different areas. The Ministry of Personnel, for example, is in charge of civil servants and other government staff, while the Ministry of Labor and Social Security drafts labor laws and is responsible for a variety of urban worker services, social security regulations, on-the-job training, retirement and unemployment benefits, and medical insurance.

Recent government statistics indicate that the demand for talent is huge in several Chinese business sectors, including agriculture, communications and insurance. But a division of tasks within the current human resources management system actually prevents a free flow of labor, experts say. For that reason, integrating the government’s two labor-related ministries seems to be a vital step.

Nevertheless, the new ministry would handle civil servants separately from the rest of China’s labor pool by creating a state bureau of civil servants. Many experts support forming a bureau for government worker oversight within the ministry, calling the proposal practical and feasible for at least two reasons. Internationally, civil service management is seldom a ministry-level task. And according to the Chinese Civil Servants Law, government worker compensation comes from the state treasury and is not determined by the job market.

Some political scholars also note that forming a combined ministry to watch over all human resources matters is a sign of more effective personnel management. Nevertheless, major personnel appointments are still under the control of the Chinese Communist Party and government cadres, who are among the civil servants. Truly uniform management of human resources has yet to be realized.