BEIJING, April 17 (Xinhua) -- China created 3.34 million new jobs in the first quarter of the year, an official said Monday.

"The figure was 160,000 higher than the number created in the same period last year," said Mao Shengyong, spokesperson for the National Bureau of Statistics, at a press conference.

China's employment situation was generally good in the first quarter this year, with the unemployment rate in 31 major Chinese cities staying under 5 percent at the end of March, according to Mao.

"Meanwhile, more workers from rural areas found jobs in urban areas in the first two months, an increase of 2.7 percent year on year," Mao said.

China aims to create more than 11 million jobs this year, 1 million more than last year's target, according to this year's government work report.

The country added 13.14 million jobs in 2016, and the registered urban jobless rate stood at 4.02 percent at the end of the year.