Since the start of this year, the Human Resources and Social Security Bureau of Handan City, Hebei Province, has focused on resolving wage arrears in the construction sector. The bureau has pioneered the development of a municipal-level comprehensive governance platform addressing both project payment arrears and migrant worker wage arrears, establishing a robust long-term oversight framework. This initiative marks a shift from reactive handling to proactive prevention and systemic improvement.

Since the platform began operating on June 1st, the volume of wage arrears leads reported through the national platform has decreased by nearly 10%, with leads specific to the construction sector dropping by over 20%. The effectiveness of this governance approach is becoming increasingly apparent. According to Ma Jujun, Director of the Handan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, addressing migrant worker wage arrears is crucial to protecting laborers' vital interests and upholding social fairness and justice, necessitating persistent efforts to resolve the issue comprehensively.

Taking a problem-oriented, systematic approach grounded in platform-based thinking and source-level governance, the bureau is leveraging digital reforms to address wage arrears challenges, facilitating a transition toward proactive prevention in wage protection work. This strategic shift emphasizes identifying and mitigating risks before they escalate into disputes.

Comprehensive Data Integration Ensures Full Project Coverage

On August 20th, the comprehensive governance platform captured startup information for a renovation project involving an old pipeline network and immediately routed it to the relevant district office. Local labor inspection staff, in coordination with industry authorities, conducted an on-site verification confirming the project's actual commencement. By August 24th, the project was formally registered on the platform, and the project owner was directed to establish a platform account for ongoing supervision.

This exemplifies the bureau's efforts to ensure all qualifying projects are incorporated into the oversight system. Recognizing challenges such as incomplete coverage of ongoing construction projects, unlicensed operations, and difficulties monitoring small-scale scattered projects, the city has adopted a differentiated strategy. This includes establishing a multi-path inclusion mechanism that combines real-time reporting, on-demand registration, and intelligent identification.

Sun Pei, Head of the Labor Inspection Section at Handan's Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, explained that projects with construction permits receive new construction data pushed from administrative approval departments, enabling registration upon commencement. For projects not requiring such permits, construction units and local authorities are held responsible for timely reporting and inclusion. Additionally, AI technology optimizes data recognition logic to identify suspected small-scale and non-compliant projects through intelligent screening, tiered assignment, field verification, and archival registration.

A real-time monitoring dashboard displays project distribution, investment categories, early warning statuses, and trends, providing essential data support for analysis, early warning, and targeted enforcement. Sun Pei noted that AI combined with satellite imagery enables timely detection of previously hidden small-scale projects, significantly enhancing the goal of complete project inclusion. Currently, the platform has aggregated data on nearly 10,000 construction projects citywide, with routine supervision applied to thousands of key projects.

Cross-Agency Data Sharing and Flow

In August, when a local bank branch was processing wage payments for a hospital project, it flagged identification number errors for two workers, blocking their salary disbursement. The platform detected this anomaly through its multi-agency data comparison system, issued a timely alert, and referred the matter for resolution. Following corrections, all owed wages were fully paid to the affected workers.

The identification and handling of this issue relied on the platform's collaborative data mechanism. Handan has consolidated data resources across multiple levels, fields, and departments, providing intelligent support for two core modules: construction payment supervision and migrant worker wage oversight. The housing, human resources, and administrative approval departments now have interconnected access to project payments, wage disbursements, and project information, with automatic capture and real-time synchronization of project initiation and construction permit data.

Horizontal coordination extends to six key departments including transportation, water resources, agriculture and rural affairs, development and reform, finance, and natural resources planning. The platform also connects with 23 banks and insurance companies for data on dedicated account openings and wage disbursement flows. Video surveillance channels have been expanded through partnerships with tower companies for high-altitude monitoring and the housing department's smart construction site video systems, complemented by satellite remote sensing imagery for real-time construction status awareness. To date, the platform has accumulated over 240,000 data catalogs and approximately 33 billion records, progressively achieving the goal of more efficient oversight through data-driven processes.

Integrated Coordination and AI Empowerment for Closed-Loop Resolution

In mid-August, the command center's early warning dashboard flagged a payment risk for July labor costs at a project in Daming County. Command center personnel immediately verified the situation, contacted the project's labor administrator, and meticulously reviewed labor cost details. Within just one day, the cause of the alert was identified and the project owner was directed to implement corrective measures.

This efficient response demonstrates the power of combining AI-driven alerts with the operational command center. To enhance the intelligence of early warnings for project fund disbursements and wage payments, and to concentrate governance efforts for improved cross-agency coordination, the command center leverages AI large models and intelligent data analytics. The system creates risk profiles for supervised projects, implementing tiered alerts, rectification deadlines, and mandatory oversight mechanisms.

Business experts seconded from administrative approval, housing, and state-owned asset departments work together at the command center, fulfilling core functions including comprehensive inspections, alert handling, and digital data analysis. Daily coordination, weekly scheduling, and monthly review mechanisms are in place, deeply integrating cross-departmental capabilities to establish a closed-loop management process of intelligent alerting, tiered assignment, verification and resolution, and case closure.

Since its launch, the platform has conducted joint multi-agency inspections, ordering corrective actions including work stoppages for projects with inadequate labor cost disbursements. This has reinforced responsibilities for construction units, contractors, and industry regulators. Specialized training covering alert generation, elimination mechanisms, and practical scenarios has been delivered to all 20 counties and districts across the city, reaching over 400 participants to ensure standardized alert handling procedures.

Wang Yan, Deputy Director of Handan's Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, stated that they will continue optimizing platform functions, deepening data integration, and refining closed-loop mechanisms. With higher standards and more concrete measures, the goal is to strengthen the protection of workers' rights, ensuring every laborer can work with confidence and receive their wages without concern.