Job market kept stable despite virus

去年就业形势总体稳定

China's job market remained stable last year, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Monday, with an average surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas of 5.6 percent, below the government's annual target of about 6 percent.

国家统计局1月18日发布的数据显示，去年我国就业形势总体稳定，年均城镇调查失业率为5.6%，低于政府制定的6%左右的预期目标。

Last month, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, and the figure was 4.7 percent among people aged 25 to 59, both unchanged from the same month in 2019.

12月份，全国城镇调查失业率为5.2%，与上年同期持平；其中25-59岁人口调查失业率为4.7%，与上年同期持平。

A total of 11.86 million new jobs were created in urban areas last year - 132 percent of the annual target.

2020年全年城镇新增就业1186万人，完成全年目标的132%。

Zhang Yanhua, an associate professor at China University of Labor Relations in Beijing, said the surveyed urban unemployment rate accurately reflected the effects of the government's proactive job policies in aiding economic recovery amid the COVID-19 epidemic.

中国劳动关系学院副教授张艳华表示，调查失业率准确反映出新冠疫情期间政府为帮助经济恢复而实施的积极就业政策的成效。

"Policies such as reducing tax and insurance fees relieved the burden on enterprises and helped them survive so they could provide more job vacancies," Zhang said. "Training sessions aiming to improve employees' professional skills were also effective."

减税和降保费等政策帮企业减负纾困，这样才能提供更多劳动岗位。给职工提供的职业技能培训也同样取得了良好效果。