BEIJING — China will help workers return to work and move hiring online to counter the impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak on employment, an official said Feb 11.

China will ramp up support to migrant workers by developing ad hoc positions or arranging public service posts for those who are stranded at home due to the outbreak, said Zhang Ying, an official of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

Employers are encouraged to interview and sign contracts with college graduate job hunters online, and people who lost their jobs in the hardest-hit areas like Central China's Hubei province are entitled to unemployment compensation.

While services sectors including tourism and catering face challenges in keeping their workforce, companies in epidemic prevention and control are shorthanded, said Zhang.

She pointed to jobs in food and medical supplies manufacturing, as well as water and electricity supply as the most in-demand positions and pledged to ensure access to online application platforms.

"The outbreak won't change China's strengthening economic fundamentals in the long run or the overall stability of employment," said Zhang.