The social security system in South China's Guangdong Province has covered the largest group of residents in the country, statistics showed.

According to Guangdong Labour and Social Security Bureau, the number of residents that have bought endowment insurance, unemployment insurance, medical insurance and work injury insurance ranked the first in the country in 2006. The figures were up 42.8 percent, 36.4 percent, 97.7 percent and 79.5 percent, respectively, from the end of 2002.

The accumulative balance of the social insurance premium amounted to 150.6 billion yuan by the end of last year, which accounted for nearly one-fifth of the nation's total, official figures showed.

"It was the result of government's continuous efforts in improving the labour welfare," said the bureau spokesman.

Apart from the urban and township workers, the social security network also benefited the farmers who gave back the land to the governments.

Liang Huizhen, 77, got her first allowance of 60 yuan a month from the endowment insurance in February. She was among the first group of elderly farmers in Zhaoqing to get the allowance after their lands were acquired by the local government.

Currently, the government has launched endowment insurance programme in five Pearl River Delta cities, including Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan, Zhongshan, Foshan, and four pilot areas specially for farmers without land, said Yang Jianhai, a department director with social security bureau.

About 1 million farmers in this group had been benefited from the endowment insurance by the end of last year, which accounted for nearly one-third of the total farmers in Guangdong who lost their lands.

Yang said the endowment insurance programme would gradually cover all farmers, with or without land, by the end of 2010.

The provincial government also takes care of the low-income migrant labors by raising the minimum salary levels in July 2006.

"Although the average salaries in all cities of Guangdong are higher than the minimum salary level, we observe that in the numerous labour-intensive manufacturing companies, many migrant labors have low income," said Deng Yaojun, a deputy director of salary department of the social security bureau.

The province is home to more than 23 million migrant labors. "It's quite urgent to raise their income," Deng said.

After learning from some internationally-accepted practical rules, the bureau adjusted the minimum salary system from seven categories to five categories.

For the first category, the minimum salary was set at 780 yuan per month; for the second, 690 yuan per month; for the third, 600 yuan per month; for the fourth, 500 yuan per month and for the fifth, 450 yuan per month.

The general minimum salary has been increased by 17.8 percent, the largest-ever improvement since the minimum salary system was launched in 1995.

Editor: Yan