China creates over 59m jobs during 14th Five-Year Plan period

China has outperformed its employment goals, with about 59.21 million people landing jobs in urban areas during the 14th Five-Year Plan period (2021-25), a senior official said.

Wang Xiaoping, minister of human resources and social security, said at a news conference in Beijing on Friday that the nation's job market has remained stable throughout the period, with the employment structure continuing to optimize and the quality of employment steadily improving.

"By the end of August, about 59.21 million people have landed jobs in urban areas, exceeding the target of 55 million set in the plan," she said, revealing that the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaged 5.3 percent in the past four years, which is lower than the set target of 5.5 percent.

"Stable employment has offered strong support for the nation's socioeconomic development," she added.