People hunt for jobs at the 2024 Beijing large-scale spring on-site job fair on March 30, 2024. The recruitment event brought together 200 enterprises and institutions providing nearly 7,000 job opportunities. Photo: IC

China created 6.98 million urban jobs in the first half of this year, achieving 58 percent of its annual target, China's Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Tuesday, highlighting the country's labor market has remained broadly stable.

The urban unemployment rate stayed low during this period, falling to 5 percent in June, a year-on-year decrease of 0.2 percentage points, which indicated a stable and positive trend in the job market, the ministry said.

The ministry predicts the positive trend will persist in the second half of the year, supported by comprehensive favorable policies and the advancement of new quality productive forces. 

Employment among key groups, such as college graduates and migrant workers, also remained stable, with more than 30 million individuals from impoverished backgrounds employed by the end of June, the ministry said.
 
The stable trend was largely driven by ongoing economic revival, increased service consumption and robust growth in advanced manufacturing sectors, such as high-end equipment and new materials, the ministry noted.
 
The country's employment outlook is to remain stable, buoyed by the ongoing economic rebound and the progressive impacts of favorable policies, analysts said.
 
The ministry highlighted the significance of new quality productive forces in generating high-quality jobs.
 
In recent years, the demand for talent in advanced technology sectors including artificial intelligence has also surged, with job openings for large language development increasing by 605 percent year-on-year, according to Zhilian Zhaopin, a Chinese job-hunting platform.
 
However, the ministry emphasized that challenges remain, including a complex external environment, insufficient domestic demand and some firms' operational pressures. Job seekers from certain sectors may still encounter difficulties, indicating that unwavering efforts are required to achieve job targets and maintain market stability.
 
Globa Times