BEIJING - China's urban jobless rate stood at 4.1 percent in 2011, the same as a year earlier, said the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) on Friday.

Altogether, 12.21 million jobs were created in urban China in 2011, well above the 9 million annual target, MOHRSS spokesman Yin Chengji told a press conference here.

The figure also exceeded the 11.68 million new jobs created in 2010.

The employment situation stayed basically stable in 2011 and the government will carry out "more proactive" policies to boost employment, Yin said.

The government will continue to give priority to creating enough jobs for college graduates in 2012, Yin said.

Official estimates put the number of college graduates in 2012 at 6.8 million, 200,000 more than in 2011.

Meanwhile, more policies will be made to encourage college graduates and rural workers to start their own businesses, while investment in job training will be increased, Yin added.

In 2011, 8 million jobs were created for farmer-turned workers. More than 17 million people received government-subsidized training aimed at helping them find employment.

China aims to keep the registered urban jobless rate within 5 percent in the 2011-2015 period, according to a statement released by the State Council, or China's cabinet, last month.

Yin told reporters China's social security funds covering pensions, medicare, unemployment, maternity and work-related injury insurances collected 2.37 trillion yuan ($375 billion) in 2011, up 26 percent year-on-year.

Spending by social security funds increased 21.1 percent year-on-year to 1.79 trillion yuan, he said.

China had extended its pension insurance system to cover 364 million people in urban and rural areas as of the end of 2011, he noted.