The number of registered unemployed stood at 8.1 million in the first quarter this year, 100,000 more than that at the end of 2003, while the urban registered unemployment rate remained at 4.3 percent, the same as last year, statistics from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security showed Saturday.

In the mean time, China created 2.52 million new jobs in the first three months. It aims to ensure nine million new jobs this year.

"The employment work has a good start this year," said an official with the Ministry.

China plans to help five million laid-off get re-employed this year and keep the unemployed rate around 4.7 percent.

By the end of March, 155.86 million people are covered by the retirement insurance, 102.02 million by the unemployment insurance, 112.39 by medical insurance and over 47.1 by industrial injury insurance.

(Xinhua News Agency May 10, 2004)