BEIJING, April 24 -- China's job market remained stable in the first quarter this year with a falling unemployment rate and more jobs created, official data showed Monday.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate dropped to 5.3 percent in March, down from 5.6 percent in February, and the number of new jobs stood at 2.97 million, Lu Aihong, spokesperson of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, said at a press conference.