A vegetable vendor sleeps on a bench near an old residential building marked with a Chinese character reading "chai", which means to dismantle, in Beijing, China, Tuesday, July 17, 2012. (AP Photo/Alexander F. Yuan)
July 17, 2012 - 7:29 AM
BEIJING, China - China's premier says the country's employment situation "will become more complex and severe" and has promised new efforts to generate jobs.
A state news agency reported that Premier Wen Jiabao promised Tuesday to push forward industrialization and emphasize agricultural modernization and rural job creation. It gave no details of possible initiatives.
"The current and future employment situation in China will become more complex and severe. Promoting full employment is an arduous task," the Xinhua News Agency paraphrased Wen as saying. "We must make greater efforts."
China's second-quarter economic growth slowed to a three-year low of 7.6 per cent, raising the threat of job losses and possible unrest. Analysts expect the economy to improve in the second half but say the speed and strength of a possible recovery is uncertain.
News from © The Associated Press, 2012