China is finding new ways to get jobs for the country's millions of college graduates, as vacancies are getting slashed under the current financial crisis.

New measures include encouraging college graduates to work in rural areas and in smaller firms, and giving financial support for start-ups of their own businesses, according to a circular issued by the general office of the State Council on Sunday.

Premier Wen Jiabao said in January that finding employment for college graduates should be the top priority of the country's employment work, calling these graduates China's "valuable human resources".

China has 6.11 million college students due to graduate this year, and another one million from last year are still looking for jobs after they failed to get a job in 2008.

According to a Blue Book of China's Economy (2009) released last December by the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a major government think tank, one million unemployed graduates accounted for about 12 percent of college graduates from last year.

The situation was worsened after about 20 million migrant workers lost their jobs as many exporters were forced to halt or reduce production as a result of weakening overseas demands.

Last year, 11.13 million urban jobs were created, while the country's economy expanded by 9 percent.

In the context of an economic slowdown, the country is put to test with the task of maintaining an economic growth that could generate enough jobs for the unemployed this year.

(Xinhua News Agency February 16, 2009)