URUMQI - Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region has launched 794 projects to boost employment in its impoverished rural areas this year, sources with the regional economic and information commission said Thursday.

As of June, 69 projects have been completed out of a total of 355 planned for south Xinjiang's Kashgar, Hotan, and Kizilsu Kirgiz prefectures with an investment of 36 billion yuan ($5.79 billion). The projects have brought more than 10,000 jobs for local residents, said Hu Kaijiang, director of the commission.

The projects are mainly based on traditional industries such as clay and musical instrument manufacturing, Muslim food processing, and carpet weaving in the three prefectures, which suffer from poverty, high unemployment, weak industrial foundations, and lagging education levels. The regional government has provided financial support, free training and preferential policies to the projects.

Xinjiang began projects in Kashgar, Hotan, and Kizilsu Kirgiz to promote local employment in February 2014. By the end of 2014, the monthly income of surplus labor in rural areas of the three prefectures had increased from 400 yuan to 1,516 yuan.

The remaining 439 job-creating projects in 11 other prefectures and cities in the region are expected to create about 37,000 jobs after completion, according to Hu.