NANJING -- Chinese Vice-Premier Hu Chunhua has stressed efforts to boost employment and strive to achieve the employment target for the year.

Hu, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during an inspection trip in East China's Jiangsu province from Wednesday to Friday.

During the trip, Hu visited job fairs, enterprises and shops to learn about the current job market supply and demand, the employment situation at enterprises and the implementation of employment policies.

He also inspected employment services for groups such as college graduates, urban residents with difficulties, and the labor force who have just shaken off poverty, as well as the development and social protection status of flexible employment.

China's employment situation has been generally stable, said Hu, noting that challenges remain, and enormous efforts must be made to achieve the annual employment target.

Work should be done to increase jobs, implement and improve supportive policies, support businesses, especially the medium and small ones, as well as the labor-intensive enterprises, the vice premier said.

He also called for giving full play to the role of public and market-based employment service providers and non-profit organizations to better serve the key groups, increasing support for the labor force who have just shaken off poverty, and boosting flexible employment by facilitating new business and employment patterns.

China aims to create more than 11 million new urban jobs in 2021, according to this year's government work report.