China’s government is promising “jobs for the boys” after ordering state-owned enterprises to employ some of the 300,000 soldiers who are being laid…

China’s government is promising “jobs for the boys” after ordering state-owned enterprises to employ some of the 300,000 soldiers who are being laid off as part of an ambitious modernisation of the world’s biggest army

Beijing has told SOEs to reserve 5 per cent of their total recruitment for those who have left the People’s Liberation Army, according to a report by Xinhua, the state news agency

The move comes after senior PLA officers raised concerns that the lay-offs, which were announced by President Xi Jinping during a high-profile military parade in September, could provoke social instability

Cutting 300,000 of the PLA’s 2.3m soldiers is one element in a reform package designed to turn it from a mass mobilisation, mostly land-based army into a more professional military, with separate commands for naval, air and strategic rocket forces

But analysts say that forcing SOEs to take up the slack risks undermining President Xi’s push for state companies to become more efficient, and underlines the difficulties he faces in trying to force through reforms of everything from the economy to the military

“The SOEs are meant to become more profit-oriented so they have been trying not to hire those without a professional background,” said Arthur Ding, an expert on China’s military at Taiwan’s National Chengchi University. “If this is a mission from Xi Jinping, no doubt they will follow orders. But it will definitely hurt the SOEs’ profitability and internal management.” “

With more government investment, China’s military has become much better equipped in recent years, acquiring the latest weapons systems including submarines, fighters and the nation’s first aircraft carrier

But while the arrival of new hardware has been welcomed, there is disquiet in the ranks over the proposed cutbacks, which could affect everyone from lowly foot-soldiers to generals

Mr Ding said that resistance was inevitable given the scale of the proposed changes

The career prospects for remaining soldiers are likely to be affected as well as departments are merged or downgraded and the total number of openings for generals and other senior officers may shrink

He said there was particular concern among China’s political commissars, who fear the traditional dual-head system, where they jointly lead units with the military commander, could be scrapped in favour of a more conventional structure with just one person in charge

Li Liguo, the minister of civil affairs, said that “the settlement of the demobilised soldiers matters to defence and military building as well as social harmony and stability”

According to a document released by his ministry and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, “all state-owned companies have the responsibility and obligation to accept and settle veterans”

The document added that “companies directly under the central government should take the lead and guide other companies to implement”