BEIJING -- China created 12.56 million new urban jobs in 2024, hitting the annual target, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Tuesday.

In 2024, China's surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.1 percent, 0.1 percentage points lower than the previous year, according to the ministry.

The country has set an annual target of creating more than 12 million new urban jobs in 2024 and it also aimed to keep the surveyed urban jobless rate at around 5.5 percent for the year.

"The employment situation remained generally stable," said Lu Aihong, spokesperson of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, at a press conference.

By the end of 2024, over 33.05 million people who had been lifted from poverty were employed, Lu said.

China's social security card holders reached nearly 1.39 billion by the end of last year, including 1.07 billion digital social security card users, the spokesperson said.

Social security cards are divided into physical cards and digital cards. Many people hold both types.

Lu said that the ministry has also strengthened the standardized management of vocational competence assessment, with over 12 million individuals obtaining vocational skill-level certificates or professional qualification certificates last year.

The ministry announced that in 2025, a targeted employment support program for key sectors, industries, urban-rural grassroots, as well as micro, small and medium-sized enterprises will be implemented, establishing a mechanism for collecting and releasing information on job positions related to major projects.

The ministry will also accelerate the research and formulation of relevant policies and measures to further enhance the appeal of the private pension system.

By the end of 2023, there were 70,000 human resource service agencies across the country, employing 1.06 million people, according to Zhang Wenmiao, an official with the ministry. He added that throughout 2023, these agencies provided services to 300 million workers and 55.99 million employers, with approximately 40 percent of these employers in the manufacturing sector.

The ministry said that this year it would introduce a youth job creation program, including measures to boost employment for college graduates.

Youth employment, particularly for college graduates, remains a top priority for the ministry, said Chen Yongjia, an official with the ministry, adding that throughout 2025, the ministry will organize a series of activities to promote employment and entrepreneurship among young people.