The All-China Federation of Trade Unions(ACFTU) has vowed to help one million laid-off and unemployed workers to get jobs by 2008.

Trade unions would assist with training or small bank loans to help workers start their own businesses, which could boost job opportunities for others, said Sun Chunlan, vice president of the ACFTU, on Thursday.

Statistics from the Ministry of Labor and Social Security show the registered urban unemployed numbered 8.39 million by the end of last year, including 1.53 million laid-off workers.

"In the next three to five years, China's working population will peak, increasing employment pressures on society," Sun said, citing the growing number of migrant workers and college graduates.

Many unemployed and laid-off workers lead hard lives, in terms of employment, education, healthcare and housing, Sun said.

Job creation has been a long-standing concern of the government since the country adopted market economy in the late 1970s and undertook reforms in state-run enterprises, which resulted in many layoffs and unemployment.

This year, the government has allocated 185.98 billion yuan (US$23 billion), an increase of 23.6 billion yuan (US$2.95 billion) over last year to employment and social security.

(Xinhua News Agency July 8, 2006)