BEIJING - China's top legislature on Monday read a draft amendment to the Military Service Law which promises better employment for demobilized servicemen.

Demobilized soldiers who register for a civil servant examination or apply for a position in government institutions will be preferred, according to the draft amendment read by the National People's Congress (NPC) Standing Committee on the first day of its bimonthly session.

The draft amendment states that military service will be regarded as community-level work experience, which is a requirement for civil service hopefuls eyeing central- and provincial-level posts.

Veterans who go back to college and finish their studies will be considered first when they apply for employment in rural community-level government bodies, the amendment says.

The draft amendment diverges from the government's practice of arranging jobs for veterans from urban areas. Instead, it creates a new resettlement system based on "employment supporting" and "combining diversified methods," including self-employment, employment arrangements, grants and further study.

The draft amendment also requires local governments to organize free vocational education and technical training and issue relevant certificates for demobilized soldiers.

Rural land will be reserved for demobilized soldiers if they forego the jobs arranged by the government and choose to start their own businesses instead, the draft says.

China read the draft amendment to the Military Service Law for the first time in 13 years in June.

The NPC's bimonthly session will end on October 29.