The country's serious shortage of jobs is likely to continue next year, with more than 15 million urban people unable to find work, says a report by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a major government think tank.

More than 25 million urban Chinese will have to look for jobs in 2007, but the number of positions available will be only 10 million, the report forecasts. Finding employment will also be more difficult for college graduates. The Ministry of Labor and Social Security warns that 1.4 million university and college graduates are unlikely to find jobs when they finish their studies next summer.

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