To promote birth-friendly jobs丨推行“生育友好岗”！闵行这样做……

‍It has been five months since Minhang District's Qibao Town responded to Shanghai's appeal to create more "fertility-friendly"jobs.

The appeal raised people's concerns about demography and its future, workplace gender equality and corporate economics.

At around 9am in a flower shop on Xinlong Road, Yuan Jing, a newly employed assistant, was trimming a sunflower bouquet, while her cellphone was vibrating as a message arrived: "The school will have an open class tomorrow morning and we invite you to join."

This might have been something of a "crisis"for many working mothers who would struggle with asking for time off, while in this 85 squaremeter shop, employees have flexible work schedules and their children can also do their homework there.

The Bai Hui Fan Hua floral store is a small example of Shanghai's trial of fertility-friendly positions citywide.

In December, 2024, the Shanghai Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, Shanghai Federation of Trade Unions and Shanghai Women's Federation released a notice on "Trial of Fertility-Friendly Positions Citywide" against a backdrop of a continuing decline in the birth rate.

Qibao was among the first to answer the call.There were challenges.

"When we sent a notice to 322 companies through WeChat, three responded with flextime positions,"said Yao Xiaoqing, deputy chief of the town's community affairs reception center.

"They are Bai Hui Fan Hua floral store, a handcraft production company and a restaurant, offering a total of five birthfriendly positions,"said Yao.

"Full-time mothers mostly want to return as whitecollar workers,"Li Danfeng, an employment guidance professional in Qibao, pointed out. "Yet their condition of frequently asking for a leave avails few regular white-collar positions for them."

Against all odds, staff from the town's community affairs reception center maintain a positive attitude on coordination between full-time mothers and potential employers. For companies who play a helpful role in female worker employment, they will be listed as "fertility-friendly employers"and enjoy policy analysis from professional government service personnel.

Community employment service stations in the district are sending questionnaires to residents about training in such positions. Full-time mothers are now able to receive free training sessions near their neighborhoods.

Shang Aiying, the Bai Hui Fan Hua flower store owner, had been the chief of a kindergarten and a head-master of an off-campus training institution. She had been enduring a work intensity of seven days a week and four hours commuting daily for several years.‍

Shang Aiying, owner of the Bai Hui Fan Hua flower store, has taken the district's lead to avail "fertility-friendly"positions to young parents. 

In 2024 she opened her own flower store and its work schedule for employees is flexible.

This is made possible through adopting a team of two from 2pm to 4pm daily, providing one person off-work and the other can still maintain work inside the store. A manager will refer to schedules of the about five or six employees in a new week and make overall arrangements. Through mutual aid scheduling, employees are able to take care of their families and a higher retention of workforce is created.

Yuan Jing, a newly employed assistant, trims flowers in the store.

2024年12月，上海市人社局、市总工会、市妇联联合发布《关于开展“生育友好岗”就业模式试点工作的通知》，在人口出生率持续走低背景下，试图开辟就业市场新赛道。作为第一时间响应新政策的街镇之一，七宝镇在试点落地时却遭遇了现实落差。