国内英语新闻:China to improve social services for migrant rural workers

BEIJING, April 28 (Xinhua) -- China's human resource official said Wednesday the country will step up efforts to improve social services for migrant rural workers in a report on protecting migrant rural workers' interests.

In a report to the Standing Committee of the National People' s Congress， Yang Zhiming, vice minister of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said relevant efforts will be listed in the next five-year plan,

Yang said the ministry will increase the coverage of labor contract for migrant rural workers, improve their working conditions and realize the portability of old-age insurance for them.

Yang said in the report that currently, many migrant rural workers still face difficulty in getting payment in time, signing labor contracts with their employers, and suffer from poor working conditions.

The report also noted progress in protecting the rights and interests of migrant rural workers, such as more legal assistance to migrant rural workers.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the number of farmers who worked away from their farmland for over six months reached 229.78 million in the year 2009.