IN BRIEF (Page 4)

Beijing

Ministry reports stable development of jobs

China's job market continued its stable development last year thanks to government efforts and steady economic growth, said Lu Aihong, spokesman of the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, on Thursday. Two main employment indicators stayed within the safe range, Lu said. The registered unemployment rate of 3.8 percent was a multiyear low, with the surveyed rate coming in at 4.9 percent, down from 5 percent a year earlier.