BEIJING, March 10 -- China is faced with a more complex and arduous task of ensuring employment in 2015 against the backdrop of an economic slowdown, China's human resources minister said Tuesday.

About 15 million young students need to find jobs in 2015, consisting of 7.49 million college graduates and a similar number of those graduating from vocational, technical schools or middle schools, said Yin Weimin, the minister of human resources and social security.

Another 3 million surplus labor force in the rural areas will be seeking employment in towns and cities, according to the minister.

Yin made the remarks at a press conference on the sidelines of the ongoing National People's Congress annual session.

China aims to create more than 10 million urban jobs and ensure that the registered urban unemployment rate does not rise above 4.5 percent in 2015, according to a government work report last week.

The employment task was announced along with a lowered growth target of "about 7 percent," after the economy grew 7.4 percent in 2014, the lowest pace since 1990.

"Urban employment in January and February fell from the same period last year," Yin also revealed on Tuesday. This was in line with a series of disappointing data at the start of the year, including indices measuring industrial activity, consumer prices and trade.

Last year, despite the slowdown, a total of 13.22 million new urban jobs were created, beating the full-year target of 10 million.

Yin highlighted the country's fast-expanding service sector amid economic restructuring, and vigorous small and micro businesses thanks to streamlined government administration, both main sectors for job creation.

"We are still very confident in fulfilling this year's task and delivering the target of creating more than 10 million urban jobs," said the minister.

Ensuring employment for college graduates will be a top priority and relevant unemployment insurance policies will be implemented, he stressed.

He also pledged efforts to encourage mass entrepreneurship and innovation and to beef up vocational training services.

Ensuring employment has been a top concern for the Chinese government as the country eyes higher-quality growth while standing up to downward pressures.

Premier Li Keqiang, when giving his government work report on the annual parliamentary session, stressed that China must maintain a steady growth rate to ensure employment and income continue to increase.