Unemployment among Taiwan's university graduates reached a new high of 4.51 percent in 2007, local media reported on Wednesday.

The figure in 2006 was 4.36 percent.

Last year, the number of unemployed Taiwanese with a higher education reached about 102,000, exceeding that of people with less education, the report said.

Statistics show that Taiwanese with at least an undergraduate degree increased from 89,000 in 1997 to 282,000 in 2007.

The report said employers seem to place more emphasis on practical skills than on education. Alternatively, better-educated people might be more choosy about jobs.

(Xinhua News Agency January 23, 2008)