University graduates would be registered as unemployed if they remained without work for six months after graduation, the Minister of Labor and Social Security Zheng Silin said Saturday.

The Chinese Government would include the jobs of university graduates in the employment scheme of the whole society, said Zheng, when reporting to the fifth meeting of the Standing Committee of the 10th National People's Congress.

The government would also provide career services for jobless university graduates and help them participate in volunteer services, said Zheng.

The year 2003 has seen 2.12 million students graduating from universities, a surge of 46 percent from last year's figure, after China began to expand its universities four years ago.

Zheng said China would likely fulfill this year's goal of keeping the urban unemployment rate below 4.5 percent.

"It is quite possible to fulfill this year's goal of employment when the country is experiencing such favorable economic growth," Zheng said.

China plans to create 8 million new jobs and help re-employ 4 million laid-off workers, of whom 1 million are 40 to 50 years old, to keep urban unemployment below 4.5 percent this year.

Zheng said 8.12 million people found jobs in China in the first nine months of this year, and 6.5 million new jobs had been created during the same period.

About 3.5 million laid-off workers had found jobs by September, 980,000 of whom were aged between 40 and 50, he said.

According to the government, China's urban areas are expected to add 10 million new jobseekers and 6 million workers laid off from State-owned and collective enterprises this year with 8 million already registered as jobless, adding to up to 24 million who need jobs.

(Shenzhen Daily October 27, 2003)