BEIJING, Aug. 15 -- China's job market remained stable in the January-July period as the surveyed urban unemployment rate dropped on a year-on-year basis, official data showed Thursday.

The average surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.1 percent in the first seven months of this year, down 0.2 percentage points from the same period last year, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said in a monthly statement.

In July alone, the unemployment rate was 5.2 percent, up from 5 percent in June but still lower than 5.3 percent a year ago.

This year, Chinese government has stepped up efforts to ensure a stable job market, implementing measures to boost pro-employment policies, enhance job seeking services and support key groups such as college graduates and migrant workers.

The employment situation will continue to be stable as the economy grows and rapidly growing new quality productive forces keep generating new professions and job opportunities, NBS spokesperson Liu Aihua told a press conference Thursday.

However, Liu also acknowledged that employment pressures persisted this year and structural problems remained prominent, vowing to prioritize youth employment and take stronger action to promote high-quality full employment.