Program to give 5m a new home

Job creation

During the news conference, Yang Zhiming, vice-minister of human resources and social security, said that the government will take measures to create more jobs.

The slowdown in the nation's economic growth has affected employment, with 4.1 percent of urban residents currently registered as unemployed, Yang said.

The creation of new employment has slowed since April, with 10.24 million jobs created from January to September.

In addition, 7 million students graduated from universities or colleges this year, piling more pressure on an employment market where a large number of migrant workers are also seeking jobs, he said.

To boost the nation's employment prospects, Yang said the government is going to encourage the development of labor-intensive industries.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are the main source of employment that the government is going to support, he said.

"President Hu Jintao said in his report to the Party congress that we should promote high-quality employment," he said.

"So we should take more effective measures."

The ministry is also taking steps to encourage entrepreneurship, by offering loans of up to 100,000 yuan to graduates starting their own businesses.

And to boost the employment prospects of migrant workers, human resources authorities across the nation will provide training courses for up to 6 million migrant workers annually, he said.

anbaijie@chinadaily.com.cn