Unemployment will remain a difficult problem for China this year, given the emergence of more laid-off workers and new job-seekers, the Minister of Labor and Social Security said yesterday.

Businesses that are trying to reform will lay off more workers, who will find it difficult to obtain a new job, Tian Chengping said at a press conference held on the sidelines of the annual session of the National People's Congress.

He said about 4.95 million students will graduate from universities and enter the job market this year and rural laborers will continue to swarm into cities for work.

To alleviate the employment problem, the government will further boost economic development to create more jobs and carry out relevant fiscal, tax and financial policies to promote employment, he said, without giving details of the "relevant" policies.

The government will also strengthen training for all kinds of job seekers and help create bridges between job hunters and employers, he added.

Last year, more than 11.8 million urban residents found new jobs, a record high for a single year, driven by a 10.7 percent increase in China's GDP.

"We will try to help at least nine million urbanites find jobs this year," Tian said, adding 24 million new job seekers are expected to move to large cities this year.

Meanwhile, a political advisor said that China needs to take measures to safeguard the interests of employees in foreign-funded enterprises amid a growing number of labor disputes in recent years.

Foreign investment should not be wooed at the cost of the working conditions of employees, and the government should play a guiding role in coordinating employer-employee relations, said Zhang Guoxiang at the ongoing annual session of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Zhang cited a report by the CPPCC foreign affairs committee, saying that irregular employment practices, low wages, unreasonable workload, failure to keep in line with social security programs, and a lack of work safety measures are major causes of rising collective labor disputes.

The CPPCC National Committee has pushed for a new labor contract law as soon as possible.