Some 6.13 million urban jobs were added in China between January and May this year, a good momentum driven by the country's growing economic aggregate and optimized economic structure, said a spokesperson with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS).
From January to May, 2.3 million urban laid-off workers and 720,000 people having difficulty securing employment were employed.
By the end of the first quarter, the registered unemployment rate in urban areas was 3.89 percent, down 0.08 percentage points from the same period last year. In May, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas was 4.8 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than last May.
China's job market remained active in the first three months, with an average of 1.23 job opportunities created for one job seeker, a record high, according to statistics released by 100 public employment service agencies.
The manufacturing labor market was expanding steadily with the demand for manufacturing jobs increasing by 5.2 percent year-on-year, 0.7 percentage points higher than the demand for all jobs, statistics show.
By the end of the first quarter, the number of rural migrant workers hit 174 million, an increase of 1.88 million year-on-year. A total of 430,000 people with difficulty securing jobs were employed, a year-on-year increase of 20,000 people and a record high. By the end of May, an accumulative 7.81 million registered impoverished people were employed.
Lu Aihong, a spokesperson with the MHRSS, said as an important indicator of macro regulation, China's labor market has expanded steadily, sending a positive signal that the national economy is generally stable. Lu disclosed that the service sector accounted for 56.6 percent of the economy by the end of the first three months, and its bigger share gives a stronger boost to employment.
New impetus for development continues to grow, as China stepped up its reforms in the business sector as well as its efforts to streamline administration, delegate powers, improve regulation, and strengthen services.
"In the first three months, 1.32 million enterprises were registered and 14,700businesses were set up each day, indicating the multiplier effect of creating more jobs by encouraging business startups has continued to emerge," said Mo Rong, deputy director of Chinese Academy of Labour and Social Security, a government think tank.
Last year, 20 places across the country raised minimum wage by an average of 11 percent. By June 1, 2018, another 8 places have lifted minimum wage by 12.3 percent on average.
"The minimum wage adjustments have better guaranteed the work-based earnings of low-income laborers," Mo said, adding that some places have released guidelines to provide information for rational rise of workers' salaries.
Under News Sharing Program, People's Daily, China
