STABILIZING employment was the top priority for China, a minister said Thursday as he revealed a rise in jobless workers triggered by a weakened export sector.

Unemployment rose in October as the impact of the global financial crisis hit the mainland’s production heartland. The ranks of jobless were expected to rise further next year, Minister of Human Resources and Social Security Yin Weimin said.

“Stabilizing employment is the top priority for us now,” Yin said.

The number of new jobless reached 10.2 million in the first 10 months of this year, exceeding the government’s projection for the entire year by 2 percent.

“This is something we are concerned about. The unemployment situation was basically stable this year. But starting in October, unemployment in China has begun to show the impact of changes in the international economic situation,” Yin said.

“This has been particularly the case for small and medium enterprises in labor-intensive sectors. Some have closed altogether, or shut or reduced production, resulting in layoffs.”

The mainland’s official urban unemployment rate was still about 4 percent, but could tick up to 4.5 percent by the end of the year, and rise further next year, Yin said.

“It is migrant workers who are affected most severely. Many of them either return to their hometowns or stay in cities looking for other opportunities, but they are not included in our statistics,” Yin said.

About 4.5 million jobless workers had been rehired, short of the government’s goal of 5 million re-hires, Yin said.

Those having difficulty finding new jobs numbered 1.29 million, exceeding the government’s expectations that 1 million would have problems doing so, Yin said.

The government is trying to help firms minimize job losses, and trying to ensure that those that do fire workers abide by labor laws and pay salaries, Yin said.

(SD-Agencies)