China maintained stable employment last year, with the number of newly created jobs in urban areas reaching 123.7 percent high as the annual target, amid a moderate economic growth and external uncertainties.

Data from National Bureau of Statistics showed 13.61 million new positions were added to the job market of urban areas in 2018, 100,000 more than the previous year. And the figure stayed above 13 million for the sixth consecutive year.

By the end of last year, China's registered unemployment rate in urban areas was 3.8 percent, the lowest level in recent years, while the surveyed unemployment in urban areas during Jan-Dec remained at 5 percent and below, despite March and July seeing a slightly higher figure due to Spring Festival and graduation season, according to NBS.

Along with the increasing employment, resident salary income per capita in the period rose as well, growing 8.3 percent year-on-year to 15,829 yuan ($2,360.81), people.com reported.

Specifically, the value added in the service industry, a more labor-intensive sector compared with the secondary industry, accounted for 52.2 percent in last year's GDP, 0.3 percentage points higher than the previous year, said NBS.

In order to ensure employment, the government rolled out an array of measures in the past year. And the government will put stable employment at a more prominent position and will continue to prioritize creating jobs and implementing a more proactive employment policy, said Xinhua, citing a guideline released in December by the State Council, the country's cabinet.

In 2018, a total of 1.3 trillion yuan was saved for enterprises by cutting taxes and fees; a subsidy of 980 million yuan was used to equip the jobless with vocational skills; and 681,000 companies without or with few layoffs got a refund of their unemployment insurance premiums amounting to 19.77 billion yuan, said people.com.

With more reforms aimed at creating a better business environment, 6.7 million enterprises set up last year, up 10.3 percent from a year before, it noted.

In December, employment in urban private enterprises and self-employed entities rose 5.7 percent and 6.7 percent, respectively, and the growth rates were 3.4 and 4.4 percentage points higher than general urban employment, according to NBS.

Noticeably, central and western regions absorbed 120.44 million migrant workers in 2018, a 3.78 million addition from a year earlier, while the eastern part saw a decline of 1.85 million to 158.08 million.