Govt to add 10m urban jobs

Boosting urban employment will be the top priority of the Chinese government this year, said Xu Shaoshi, head of the National Development and Reform Commission, at a news briefing on Wednesday.

More than 10 million urban jobs are expected to be added this year – one million more than last year - with the registered jobless rate remaining under 4.6 percent.

The government has set a higher target of job creation to better meet the demand of a growing number of newly graduated workforce entering the job market this year, according to Xu.

About 6.99 million students graduated from college in 2013, increasing the burden on the job market amid the economic slowdown in the country.

"This is the tough part. Despite our efforts, college graduates will continue to face considerable employment pressure this year," he said.

Xu vows to continue supporting new college graduates in finding jobs or starting their own businesses this year, while improving the employment assistance system and public employment service facilities.

Employment remained stable in the world's second-largest economy last year. A total of 13.1 million urban jobs were created in 2013, with urban unemployment rate standing at 4.05 percent.

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