On April 22, 2018, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the first electronic social security card in China. Since then, the number of users of electronic social security cards has grown rapidly. As of the end of September 2024, a total of 1.034 billion people in China have received electronic social security cards, with a population coverage rate of 73.4%. Simply put, an electronic social security card is the social security card in the cardholder's mobile phone. The electronic social security card corresponds one-to-one with the physical social security card and has similar functions. It is an electronic voucher and settlement tool for cardholders to enjoy employment, social security, and other livelihood services. From the first card to the billionth card, electronic social security cards have become the fundamental carrier of digital livelihood services in China. What new services and conveniences does the electronic social security card bring to people's lives? The reporter conducted an interview. The promotion of electronic social security cards is aimed at better adapting to the requirements of economic and social development in the new era, and providing high-quality, rich, efficient, and convenient social security card services to facilitate people's affairs, "said the person in charge of the Information Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security. After years of popularization, application, and innovation, the electronic social security card has been iteratively updated to version 3.0, with more intelligent service functions, a more comfortable user experience, and more stable platform support. ——Expand service channels. I heard from a friend that a mobile phone can be used to receive a social security card. Previously, many things needed to be processed in line at the government service center window. Now, when you click on your phone, the service will proactively come to your doorstep. For example, when I participated in skills training, I received a call from the staff the day after registering in my electronic social security card Mr. Li, who lives in Dinghai District, Zhoushan City, Zhejiang Province, has completed the application for social security card in his mobile phone applet. "It's very convenient to find electronic social security card services in many common applications!" The electronic social security card has expanded to 440 service channels, including electronic social security card APP, national government service platform, State Council client applet, local people's and social security department APP, WeChat and Alipay applet, cloud flash payment APP, social security card service bank APP, etc., basically covering various Internet applications commonly used by the masses, making use more convenient. ——Launch family friendly services. What if the elderly and children at home don't know how to use electronic social security cards? With the help of staff, Wei Wenping, a villager from Datong Village, Duanjia Town, Fufeng County, Baoji City, Shaanxi Province, has opened the family service function on the electronic social security card mini program. "Clicking on the mini program, I can handle the application for urban and rural residents' pension insurance benefits for my mother, it's very simple. Zhao Baoqi, Director of the Information Center of Baoji Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, introduced that the electronic social security card family service can help family members handle personal social security rights inquiries, transfer of pension insurance relationships, and application for urban and rural residents' pension insurance benefits, solving the problem of "elderly and children not knowing how to use". Since 2019, the electronic social security card has launched the family service function, fully reflecting the service tenet of the social security card of "recording a lifetime, ensuring a lifetime, and serving a lifetime". Through this feature, electronic social security cards can support use by people of all ages, currently covering 93 million children and adolescents under 18 years old and 245 million elderly people over 60 years old. The function of opening family services is basically the same as independently applying for electronic social security cards by family members. ——Develop aging friendly features. Recently, Wang Shulin, a retired resident of Tianjin, needed to provide a personal social security insurance certificate. Due to his limited mobility, he was worried about having to go all the way to obtain the certificate. Dad, this can be done online. You can download an electronic social security card app and switch to the 'Elderly Version'. "Daughter Wang Shuangshuang called and taught her father how to operate step by step." Open the app, click on the option to query the personal social security participation certificate, operate it for a while, and the electronic certificate with a red stamp will come out. "In order to meet the needs of the elderly, in 2021, the electronic social security card launched the 'Elderly Version' and customized a series of aging friendly service functions. The "Elderly Edition" selects commonly used electronic social security card services for the elderly, simplifies the page, enlarges the button, and also adds voice guided facial recognition services. More diverse functions add employment, consumption, cultural tourism and other scenarios, diversified services. "I didn't expect that my job was found through an electronic social security card," Hou Sen, a graduate of the CNC Technology major at Tianjin Mechanical and Electrical Vocational and Technical College, told reporters. Can I still find a job with an electronic social security card? Originally, with the recommendation of his teacher, Hou Sen used the "Employment Online" function in his electronic social security card. After filling out his resume, he entered keywords such as "CNC" and "machine tool" in the search bar, and selected "Tianjin City" in the work area, and relevant job opportunities were pushed out. The electronic social security card gathers information from different recruitment platforms, providing more job opportunities and greater reliability, "said Hou Sen, who successfully signed a contract with a gas equipment manufacturing company. Nowadays, the electronic social security card is not just a card for handling human resources and social security business. By integrating and connecting with various departments in different regions, the electronic social security card has expanded its rich and diverse service functions in government affairs, consumption, transportation, cultural tourism and other fields. By binding the social security card bank account, the electronic social security card also adds consumption functions. The electronic social security card can not only be used to check social security, but also to enjoy discounts when shopping Ms. Zhang, a resident of Zhangdian District, Zibo City, Shandong Province, said that she purchased an energy-saving refrigerator at the Haihui Electric Appliance Mall in Zibo City and used an electronic social security card for payment settlement. She immediately enjoyed discounts such as "100 yuan off for home appliance purchases over 1000 yuan" jointly created by the Shandong Provincial Department of Human Resources and Social Security and the Social Security Card Service Bank. Shandong organized the "Social Security Card Enjoyment Shandong Tour" activity, promoting the use of electronic social security cards for activities such as "fuel discounts" and "discounted ticket purchases"; Guangdong, Guangxi, and Hainan have launched joint tourism annual cards; It is reported that in the field of mobile payments, electronic social security cards in 26 provinces have achieved functions such as daily payment and shopping settlement. In addition, electronic social security cards also help residents enjoy more public services. In Zhongshan City, Guangdong Province, Li Bo, a resident of Qiaogang Community in Dongqu Street, used his electronic social security card to dine in the senior canteen. Previously, we used to withdraw our pension from our social security card and pay for our meals. However, with the introduction of the "One Card" smart dining service for our social security card, we can simply swipe our card or face to dine in the cafeteria, "said Li Bo. The relevant person in charge of Zhongshan Municipal Human Resources and Social Security Bureau introduced that the local electronic social security card has been fully integrated into public service platforms such as "Guangdong Provincial Government Service Platform" and "Guangdong Provincial Affairs", and the public can query and handle more than 500 businesses. It is reported that Zhejiang, Anhui, Jiangxi, Shandong, Guangdong, Sichuan and other regions are actively exploring the use of electronic social security cards to empower applications such as "love codes", "campus codes", "credit codes", and "talent codes", achieving "one code universal" in multiple scenarios. In some areas, electronic social security cards can also be used to handle real estate registration, housing provident fund applications and other businesses. In recent years, many residents who use electronic social security cards have felt the changes - the service functions are becoming more and more extensive, and the application scope is becoming wider and wider. With the deepening of regional coordinated development and the general increase in personnel mobility, it is urgent to further solve the problem of connecting various livelihood security services after personnel mobility. Electronic social security cards have become an important tool for promoting service sharing. This year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and other departments issued a notice on the pilot work of direct settlement of work-related injury insurance for cross provincial and cross regional medical treatment. Subsequently, pilot programs were also released in Beijing, Shandong, Henan, Inner Mongolia and other places. Individuals in pilot areas can use their electronic social security card to directly settle cross provincial medical expenses, hospitalization work-related injury medical expenses, hospitalization work-related injury rehabilitation expenses, and auxiliary equipment configuration expenses. At present, the electronic social security card is gradually breaking through regional restrictions and expanding its service scope. It has opened 102 national services and more than 1000 provincial and municipal services. At the same time, the "One Thing" service area for social security card resident services has been launched, providing the public with scene institution inquiries, online services, consultations and other services, achieving service homogeneity and national interconnection. In order to promote cross business, cross regional, and cross departmental system interoperability, data sharing, and service integration, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security has issued the "Notice on Accelerating the Construction of the Social Security Card Resident Service 'One Card'", which clarifies that by 2025, the policy system of the 'One Card' will be further improved, provincial-level 'One Card' will be widely implemented, and regional 'One Card' will form a trend; By 2027, social security cards will be widely used in the field of livelihood services, and the national "one card" system will be basically implemented. How to continue promoting the implementation of electronic social security cards as a national "one card system"? The person in charge of the Information Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security stated that on the one hand, they will improve the national social security card service platform and the "one card" service zone, promote the linkage construction with the provincial "one card" platform, and form a nationwide "one card" architecture system that is interconnected from top to bottom; On the other hand, we will open up the basic capabilities of the "One Card" platform, promote cross platform sharing of service resources, and rely on the national integrated government big data system to provide data sharing and comparison services for relevant departments. We will continuously improve the circle of convenient human resources and social security services, expand the application scope of electronic social security cards in employment and social security, medical treatment and drug purchase, transportation, cultural experience and other fields, bring more convenient services to the people, and use small cards to serve the people's livelihood The person in charge of the Information Center of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said. (New Society)