New program seeks to eliminate fraudulent recruitment agencies

Five central departments have recently launched a program to eliminate unauthorized or dubious recruitment agencies in an attempt to make the job market safer and protect people's working rights and personal properties.

The five departments are the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, Office of the Central Cyberspace Affairs, Ministry of Public Security, Ministry of Education and State Administration for Market Regulation.

A release by the human resources ministry on Wednesday said that many organizations or individuals were found offering human resource services without official certificates and using online platforms such as public WeChat accounts, WeChat mini programs or chat groups to publish job openings.

Hiring requirements published by these organizations or individuals contained illegal information, were discriminatory, or were in the nature of scams or loans with inducements. These have damaged the market order and encroached on people's rights and properties, according to the release.

Under the ongoing program, 1,196 online public accounts without official certificates for HR services have been suspended so far, said the release. Internet companies and platforms are urged to verify the quality or certificates of human resources services of registered accounts.

The central departments have also urged jobseekers to better protect themselves by checking the quality or certificates of online recruitment agencies and reporting to local authorities if they incur loss of working rights or properties.