In the first quarter of this year, China’s employment situation has progressed steadily and is off to a good start, said Lu Aihong, spokesperson for the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at the first quarter news conference on April 27.

“More than 3.3 million new jobs were offered in urban areas during the first three months of the year,” Lu said.

“The ratio of job seekers to job demand has reached up to 1.23, showing a strong market demand for workers,” he added.

Sound macroeconomic development contributed to the good performance of employment in the first quarter, according to Lu.

Statistics show that GDP has increased by 6.8 percent year-on-year, and imports and exports surged in the first quarter.

Optimized economic structure also played an important role. In the first quarter, the added value of the service industry accounted for 56.6 percent of GDP, giving a further boost to employment.

Despite the good start, the employment situation this year is still challenging and complex. The number of new entrants into the labor force will exceed 15 million, structural contradictions are prominent, and employment pressures on college graduates remain particularly high.

The employment priority strategy and pro-active employment policy will be continuously implemented, Lu emphasized.