In this undated photo, as graduation nears, university students look at company profiles and available positions at a job fair in Nanjing, Jiangsu province. (YANG SUPING / CHINA DAILY)

The domestic job market maintained its stable growth in the past nine months with the unemployment rate falling to the level before the COVID-19 pandemic, said the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security on Wednesday.

According to the ministry's press release, about 10.45 million people landed new jobs at urban areas from January to September, registering a year-on-year rise of 16 percent.

About 10.45 million people landed new jobs at urban areas from January to September, registering a year-on-year rise of 16 percent

ALSO READ: Minister: China's employment to remain generally stable in 2021

The average surveyed unemployment rate of the year's third quarter, from July to September, was around 5 percent, down 0.2 percentage point from the same period of 2019.

The ministry said that employment of key groups of migrant workers, college graduates and demobilized military staff members stayed stable in the past nine months. 

The ministry said it has launched campaigns to help college students to land jobs, under which 1.16 million college graduates have found jobs so far.

READ MORE: Increasing demand best way to boost employment