The domestic job market has performed better than expected in 2021, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Tuesday.

Around 12.7 million jobs were created in urban areas last year, surpassing the target of 11 million. The average surveyed unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, falling by 0.5 percentage points from the previous year.

The employment of key demographics including college graduates, migrant workers and demobilized military staff was also stable last year, while the number of migrant workers continued to grow, recovering to the level it stood at before the onset of COVID-19.

The ministry subsidized companies and employers to a total of nearly 100 billion yuan ($15.8 billion) during the period to help stabilize the job market, and disbursed unemployment insurance worth some 23.1 billion yuan, benefiting over 92.3 million employees.