Mayor Zhang Guangning called employment one of the most important issues for the city government amid the global financial downturn, and promised that Guangzhou will undertake a variety of measures to ensure that the registered unemployment rate stays under 3.6 percent this year.

"Employment is closely related to social stability and harmony; the city government has spared no efforts to handle it," Zhang said at a press conference organized by the municipal people's congress yesterday.

"Nevertheless, we will do out best to keep the registered unemployment rate within 3.6 percent and will try all feasible measures to the end."

The city will try to maintain a GDP growth of 10 percent this year, and will continue to support the development of small and medium enterprises (SMEs), the mayor said.

"SMEs can provide many job vacancies; the city government has hammered out measures including establishing fundraising firms to help them overcome the capital bottleneck amidst the global financial crisis," he said.

Guangzhou will try to better understand its unemployed citizens, release recruitment information in time to the unemployed and providing free training programs.

Zhang said the government will encourage local university graduates to start their own businesses by offering them rent subsidies or small capital support while expanding the recruitment of public servants at the grassroots level.

He said the government is also considering subsidizing some enterprises so they will offer more job opportunities to locals.

"Related government departments will carry out the feasibility study next week," he said.

Guangzhou's registered unemployment rate was 2.35 percent in 2008, lower than that of the nation, official statistics indicated.

(China Daily February 27, 2009)