BEIJING - The registered unemployment rate in Chinese cities stood at 4.04 percent in the third quarter of the year, slightly down from 4.05 percent in the second quarter, latest data showed.

China created 10.67 million new jobs in the first nine months of 2016, fulfilling the annual target of 10 million ahead of schedule, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security announced on Tuesday.

The government has pledged to keep the whole-year registered unemployment rate below 4.5 percent.

The registered unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed people who register with human resource authorities or employment service institutions.