Shanghai aims to create more than 500,000 new jobs this year, authorities said yesterday.

At a meeting about work on human resources and social security in the city, the government said it will also try to control the registered unemployed population within 185,000, help 10,000 start their own businesses and provide jobs to 8,000 long-term unemployed young people, and control the unemployment rate within 5 percent.

Last year, Shanghai’s employed population set a historic high at around 10.51 million, with the unemployment rate stable within 4 percent.

It also created 570,400 new jobs and helped 9,956 young people find jobs and 12,546 people start businesses.