Statistics from the first national economic census show that China has 308.82 million people were employed in the secondary and tertiary industries at the end of 2004.

The secondary industry employed 154.638 million people and the tertiary industry 154.19 million, said the census bulletin released here Tuesday by the National BUreau of Statistics.

The first-ever national economic census, which formally began on Dec. 31, 2004, was designed to draw an economic panorama of the country's fast-expanding secondary and tertiary industries and complete a database covering all economic sectors.

Statistics show that 214.6 million people, or 69.5 percent of the total employed in the secondary and tertiary industries, work in corporate businesses and 94.224 million people are private business runners, accounting for 30.5 percent of the total.

Among the people employed, 78.822 million, or 36.7 percent, are females.

The manufacturing sector has 83.905 million, accounting for 39.1 percent in the total employed; the construction sector 27.926 million, 13.0 percent; the wholesale and retail sector 13.825 million people, or 6.4 percent of the total employed.

(Xinhua News Agency December 7, 2005)