BEIJING -- China is seeking to create 9 million new jobs in cities and towns and another 5 million for laid-off workers this year, the Ministry of Labour and Social Security said Wednesday.

It said in a report the country is focusing on generating jobs for unemployed college graduates and migrant workers. Acute unemployment in those two groups has aroused great social concern in recent years.

The ministry said college graduates, who are flooding the job market, should look to less dynamic western regions and small cities for employment as there is intense competition in metropolises such as Beijing and Shanghai.

Additional training, internships and employment information will be provided for the jobless, said the ministry.

The ministry also aims at training 8 million migrant workers this year, helping them to boost skills and making them more competitive in the job market.

China's registered urban unemployment rate stood at 4.2 percent by the end of June, lower than the 4.6 percent the government predicted.

In the first half of the year, China created 130,000 more jobs than in the same period of last year, the report said.