Minister: Urban jobless rate remains low

By Cui Xiaohuo (chinadaily.com.cn)
Updated: 2009-09-09 17:11

The registered unemployment in urban areas remained a relative low rate of 4.3 percent, with new employment positions hitting 7.57 million in the first eight months, minister of human resources and social security Yin Weimin told a press conference Wednesday in Beijing.

Until August, nearly 3.6 million laid-off workers have found new jobs, accounting for 71 percent of the government's target of 5 million for the whole year.

Yin said the unemployment situation in China will not cause social unrest as the nation celebrates its 60th anniversary in three weeks' time.

"I am convinced the current measures by the central government will prevent further social unrests from happening," Yin told China Daily on the sidelines of the press conference.

The employment of college graduates is always a major concern for the government, Yin said, noting 68 percent of 6.11 million new graduates from the country's universities and colleges were employed as of July 1. The employment ratio was roughly the same as that in 2008.

"Statistics have shown the employment situation is generally stable, and the worst scenario we expected earlier in which migrant workers who lost their jobs might turn up protesting did not take place. The college graduates are also quite stable with sufficient employment measures," said the minister.