China plans to create nine million new jobs and to help five million laid-off workers become re-employed in 2004, Minister of Labor and Social Security Zheng Silin said on Monday.

Next year, China will spare no efforts to control the urban unemployment rate at around 4.7 percent, Zheng told a national conference on labor and social security work held Monday.

Though China has fulfilled its goal of employment and re-employment assigned for this year -- eight million new jobs and re-employment for four million laid-off workers, next year's targets are more challenging.

Following the just-concluded national conference on the work relating to talented personnel, the meeting vowed to reinforce its re-employment services in the coming year, especially to provide more vocational training. Specifically, 100,000 people will get skill training, and 300,000 people will receive training to set up their own businesses, Zheng said.

(Xinhua News Agency December 23, 2003)