Unemployment, layoffs and reemployment programs in China: A case study of Shanghai Reemployment Service Center Program and its adaptation

China's ongoing industrial restructuring has resulted in a massive layoff of workers from state-owned enterprises. Unemployment poses a huge social problem that demands urgent policy response. To address this issue, the Central Government introduced the Reemployment Service Center Program (RSCP), which was piloted by Shanghai City Government in 1996 and aims to provide assistance and services to laid-off workers, as a national model to be adapted.; This study focuses on the Shanghai RSCP and its adaptation. It adopts case study and program evaluation approach to assess the accomplishment of Shanghai RSCP and its active adaptation in Chengdu.; The evaluation outcomes shows: (1) The Shanghai RSCP is not the best practice model that justifies its simple adaptation; (2) Chengdu RSCP is a better choice for regional governments to address the layoff issue; (3) In the absence of a complete social security system, the efficiency of reemployment programs cannot be achieved without great financial resource. Whether to incorporate training service with employment service or not largely depends on how to combine the limited resources with the priorities of goals and objectives of the program.