Recruiting in China

BEIJING: The Chinese government today said it has created 12.02 million new jobs in the first 11 months of this year surpassing the goal of 9 million.

The urban registered unemployment rate stood at 4.1 per cent at the end of September, below the annual target of 4.6 per cent, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) said.

The employment situation has been better than expected this year amid the backdrop of slowing global economic recovery and downward pressures weighing on the domestic economy, state-run Xinhua news agency quoted Human Resources Minister Yin Weimin as saying.

Meanwhile, massive layoffs have also been rare this year, as a continuous labour shortage left employers more prudent about staff cuts, Zhou added.

Yin said the focus of next year's work will still be employment for college graduates, an expanding population that has hit 6.8 million this year.

China will carry out and improve policies in support of the employment and entrepreneurship of college graduates, expand their employment areas and introduce public recruitment services to campuses, Yin said.

To boost employment, the government also vowed to support the development of small and micro enterprises and strengthen social responsibility among large enterprises at the conference held on December 15 and 16.

China's total urban population in search of employment reached 25 million in 2012, far exceeding the 12 million new jobs created annually in recent years, data show.

Analysts have pointed out that in addition to the pressure to create more jobs, there is a notable gap between the skills of the unemployed and the skills required for certain positions.

Most industries in China are currently facing a serious shortage of skilled workers. The manufacturing sector alone, according to the MHRSS, is in need of about 4 million senior technicians.