BEIJING — China will continue to expand channels for the employment of college graduates this year, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) said on April 27.

“We will continue to implement employment-oriented strategy and proactive policies ... to ensure accomplishing employment goals, “ Lu Aihong told a news conference.

According to a government work report, China aims to create over 11 million urban jobs this year.

China will encourage college graduates to start their own businesses by offering favorable policies and advancing the development of incubator projects, Lu said.

Meanwhile, China will encourage these job seekers to work at the community level and find jobs and start businesses in the country’s less-developed central and western regions, he said.

China expects to see a total of 8.2 million college graduates in 2018, an increase of 250,000 from 2017, official data showed.

The MHRSS has asked local human resource authorities to take all possible measures to increase job opportunities and ensure stable employment for college graduates, according to a circular issued in March.

China added 3.3 million new urban jobs in the first quarter of this year and cut the urban unemployment rate by 0.08 percentage points from one year earlier to 3.89 percent.

There are an average of 1.23 job opportunities for one job seeker, a record high, Lu said.