China created 11.86 million jobs in urban areas last year, exceeding its annual goal of adding 9 million jobs, an official said on Jan. 26.

The country’s employment situation improved quarter by quarter in 2020, ensuring stability and outperforming expectations, said Zhang Ying, director of the Employment Promotion Department of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS), during a press conference.

People attend a job fair at the Hongshan Gymnasium in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 2, 2020.  (Xinhua/Xiao Yijiu)

China’s job creation maintained steady growth, the unemployment rate steadily dropped and the employment of key groups kept a good momentum of steady growth.

In 2020, the country’s surveyed urban unemployment rate dropped from the record high of 6.2 percent in February to 5.2 percent in December, unchanged from the same period in 2019.

The MHRSS took multifaceted measures, including reducing corporate burdens, keeping the payroll stable, and creating more jobs, to cushion the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic on employment, Zhang said.

From February to the end of 2020, China cut 1.54 trillion yuan ($238.4 billion) in social insurance contributions related to old-age, unemployment and work-related injuries for employers and employees.

To support enterprises in stabilizing job posts, the country refunded 104.2 billion yuan to 6.08 million enterprises last year and allocated 100 billion yuan of subsidies and special awards to secure employment.

China also provided vocational skill training to improve workers’ professional skills. In 2020, over 2.7 million free online vocational skill opportunities were provided for workers from poverty-stricken households, setting a new record.

Employees are being persuaded to spend the Spring Festival holiday in places they work to curb the spread of COVID-19, Zhang said, noting that the ministry has worked with relevant departments to stabilize employment so enterprises can resume production and migrant workers can secure jobs after the holiday.

The official added that the MHRSS would launch a campaign to guide employees, including rural migrant workers, to return to work after the holiday and would spare no effort to ensure an overall stable employment situation.