THE surveyed unemployment rate of urban areas in China stood at 5.3 percent in October, 0.1 percentage points lower than that of September, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed yesterday.

A total of 10.09 million new urban jobs were created in the first 10 months, completing the target tasks for the whole year ahead of schedule, 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 October, unchanged from that of September.

Meanwhile, the surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities was 5.3 percent last month, down 0.2 percentage points from September, 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.

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.

(Xinhua)