China creates over 13 million new urban jobs

Beijing, March 1 (IANS) China created over 13 million urban jobs for four consecutive years, despite downward pressure and industrial restructuring in the Chinese economy, the government said.

The registered unemployment rate in Chinese cities was relatively low over the past four years, Yin Weimin, head of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, was quoted as saying by People's Daily Online.

The stable employment situation can be attributed primarily to four factors, Yin said.

First is sustained economic development, which lays a foundation for stabilising and expanding employment.

Last year, China saw a 6.7 per cent GDP growth and a total economic volume exceeding 74 trillion RMB ($10.8 trillion), Yin pointed out.

The second reason, according to Yin, is that the industrial structure is constantly being optimised. The tertiary industry can create on average 20 per cent more jobs than the secondary industry.

Last year, the tertiary industry's contribution to China's GDP was as high as 51.6 per cent, 11.8 percent higher than that of the secondary industry.

Reform, the third factor, has continuously yielded large dividends over the past few years. The current government has deepened administrative reform and transformed government functions, and launched a series of business reforms in addition to cultivating mass entrepreneurship and innovation.

With the emergence of new technologies, new types of business, and new growth impetus, current forms of employment have consequently been diversified. Entrepreneurs have also created jobs.

The implementation of positive employment policies and a public employment service system at all levels of government contribute to the stable employment situation as well, Yin noted.

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