Job seekers view employment information during a job fair in Lhasa, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, Aug. 20, 2019. (Xinhua/Li Xin)

A total of 9.38 million urban jobs were created from January to August, achieving 85.3 percent of China's annual goal, official data from National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed on Wednesday. 

The urban unemployment rate in August remained unchanged at 5.1 percent, according to statistics. 

China’s urban unemployment rate in Aug 2021 Infographic: Deng Zijun/GT

 
The employment situation is remaining stable, and the surveyed urban unemployment rate of young people has declined, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said at a press briefing on Wednesday.

The surveyed unemployment rate for people aged 16-24 was 15.3 percent, down 0.9 percentage points from July, and the surveyed unemployment rate for people aged 25-59 was 4.3 percent. 

The surveyed unemployment rate for 31 major cities and towns was 5.3 percent, up 0.1 percentage from July. The average weekly working hours of employed persons in enterprises nationwide were recorded at 47.5 hours. 

As part of the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), China will try to maintain job market stability despite challenges, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said in August.

The State Council, China's cabinet, recently issued an employment plan during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, seeking to expand urban employment and creating at least 55 million new urban jobs prior to the end of 2025 while aiming to lower the unemployment rate below 5.5 percent.

Fu stressed that there are still many favorable conditions for employment to remain stable over the medium term, with the economy improving over an extended period of time. 

Moreover, the domestic service industry is gradually recovering with the market vitality also increasing which will help create more job opportunities. More options in flexible employment have also been created. 

However, Fu pointed out that the employment pressure and structural contradictions still exist, so it is crucial to place top priority to employment and further promote a stable and positive development of the employment.

Global Times