China's registered urban unemployment rate in 2004 is 4.2 percent, and 0.4 percentage points lower than the estimated level made at the beginning of the year.

The Ministry of Labor and Social Security attributes the decrease to the sustained rapid GDP growth and the country's various measures to boost employment, including offering jobs to the millions of laid off workers from state-owned enterprises.

Minister of Labor and Social Security Zheng Silin notes that China still faces problems like the demand and supply gap in labor forces, which will not be fixed in a short term.

The minister has vowed enhanced efforts this year.

"China will continue to implement active employment policies and further boost employment in 2005. The main target for this year is to create a total of nine million newly increased jobs, and to control the urban unemployment rate under 4.6 percent."

Zheng Silin says China will continue to offer small loans to those unemployed to fund their reemployment.

The Chinese government will also speed up the process of establishing a public employment services system, to intensify guidance and training of the labor forces.

Editor: Olivia