More than 1.2 million people who lost their jobs after the May 12 quake in southwest China's Sichuan Province have found new work, authorities said Friday.

The reemployed people accounted for 80 percent of the total 1.5 million who became unemployed after the 8.0-magnitude Wenchuan quake last year that left more than 80,000 people dead or missing, according to a provincial employment meeting held Friday.

Some 370,000 urban residents became jobless and 1.15 million rural laborers lost their sources of income in the quake, statistics with the Sichuan Labor and Social Security Department showed.

The creation of public welfare jobs and the opening of private businesses have been among the measures taken by the province to promote employment.

However, some residents may face unemployment again as the temporary public work jobs created by the earthquake, such as clearing of debris and epidemic prevention, will become obsolete soon. The province still faces employment pressures, according to the meeting.

(Xinhua News Agency March 22, 2009)