BEIJING, Oct. 19 (Xinhua) -- China's surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 5.4 percent in September, 0.2 percentage points lower than that of August, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed Monday.

A total of 8.98 million new urban jobs were created in the first three quarters, completing 99.8 percent of the annual target, said the NBS.

The surveyed unemployment rate among those aged between 25 and 59, the majority of the labor market, stood at 4.8 percent in September, unchanged from that of August.

Meanwhile, the surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 5.5 percent last month, down 0.2 percentage points from August, according to the NBS.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed people who have participated in the employment survey in urban areas, including migrant workers in cities.

China will give priority to stabilizing employment and ensuring living standards this year, aiming to add over 9 million new urban jobs and keep the surveyed urban unemployment rate at around 6 percent, according to the government work report.