Jobless rate should be below 5% for stability

Social stability could be threatened if the registered urban unemployment rate rises above 5 percent next year, a senior lawmaker warned yesterday.

Zheng Gongcheng, a member of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, told China Daily the jobless rate could rise next year from the existing 4 percent because of massive job cuts.

His remarks come as policymakers are holding a three-day Central Economic Work Conference to discuss measures to create new jobs and maintain the existing unemployment rate in the face of the global financial crisis.