A Chinese company in the eastern industrial hub of Shandong has withdrawn an order that required single employees to get married by the end of September after local authorities said that it contravened the country’s labor laws.
The move, which caught the attention of local residents and authorities, comes as China grapples with how to incentivize young couples to wed and have children to boost the country’s declining population.
The notice by Shandong Shuntian Chemical Group to its 1,200 employees said that all single workers, aged 28 to 58, including those divorced, would be required to “get married and start a family ... before September 30, 2025.”
Photo: Reuters
If it is not completed by the third quarter, the company would “terminate the labor contract,” it said according to a notice circulated on social media and reported by several state-backed newspapers including the Global Times and Beijing News.
Shandong Shuntian did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The notice said that the company “promotes the spirit and cultural values of diligence, kindness, loyalty, filial piety, and righteousness,” the Global Times reported.
However, the notice contravened provisions of China’s labor law and labor contract law, the Global Times reported, without giving details.
State media said that the notice had been withdrawn.
The company had said that the intention was to encourage older unmarried employees to focus on “important life decisions, and motivate them to marry and settle down.”
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