China added 11.86 million new urban jobs nationwide in 2020, exceeding the target of creating over nine million urban jobs, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Friday.

In 2020, the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 5.6 percent, below the government's annual target of around 6 percent. 

In December last year, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, down from its annual peak of 6.2 percent in February as COVID-19 brought many of the country's economic activities to a halt.

Entrants in the new urban labor force are estimated to be around 15 million in 2021, while the number of college graduates is expected to hit a record 9.09 million, Zhang Jinan, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, told a press conference.

According to Zhang, the country's overall employment still has structural problems. While job hunters are struggling to get employed, some sectors, such as manufacturing and services, are witnessing a labor shortage, the minister said.

To ensure employment, Zhang said this year China will continue to stabilize the job market by protecting market entities and offering special assistance to key groups of job-seekers including college graduates and migrant workers.

Efforts will also be made to expand employment channels by supporting small firms and entrepreneurship, providing vocational training and offering aid to the vulnerable and low-income groups, he added.

(With input from Xinhua)

(Dai Kaiyi contributed to this story.)