The Hebei provincial government pledged to create 600,000 jobs in 2010 and keep the urban unemployment rate below 4.5 percent, officials said at the provincial human resources and social security conference held on Jan 6.

It is estimated that labor force numbers in the province will increase by 810,000 this year, a record high. The labor force increased by 573,000 in 2009.

The province will also invest more in vocational education and training, officials said.

“Hebei needs 3.5 million technical workers, but currently it has only 940,000. The gap is huge,” Song Enhua, vice governor of Hebei province, said at the conference.

The province will build training bases at several vocational schools, colleges and large enterprises, officials said. Efforts will also be made to provide on-the-job training for migrant workers.