A total of 281,000 jobs were created in Shanghai in the second quarter of this year, while the number of job hunters reached 299,000, a report released on Thursday shows.

The jobs were provided by 22,000 companies, according to the analysis of the city's human resources by the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau.

Compared with the same period last year, job supply has increased 20.7 percent, the report said.

The service industry and retail industry created the most job vacancies, accounting for 48.4 percent of the total supply. A decreasing trend continued in demand for jobs in the insurance industry. Demand has now dropped for three consecutive quarters.

However, job demand in real estate rose again in the second quarter of this year, reversing a drop over the past three quarters.

Manufacturing, marketing, purchasing and customer services boasted the biggest actual demand for laborers in the second quarter, while the biggest increase occurred in demand for security guards. Compared with the first quarter, the number of security guards employed increased 2.2 percent.

Posts in industries such as engineering and technology, creative design, dining and entertainment dropped.

Pudong New Area created the most job vacancies, accounting for 17.6 percent of the city's total demand. Xuhui District accounted for 13.3 percent.

A slight increase in job demand came from the city's outskirts compared with the first quarter.

The report found the average age of job seekers had declined while their education levels had improved.

Those seeking work had an average age of 29.7 - 1.1 years younger than those in the first quarter.

The analysis showed that the ratio of job seekers with an education of junior college or above continued to grow, reaching 47 percent. Those with middle school education or below dropped.

An analysis of job opening-to-application ratios showed competition remained fierce among professional and technical job hunters.

The ratios in the non-metal mining industry reached 0.05, which means behind each post there were 20 candidates competing for the job.

Another survey released on Thursday found 41.4 percent of employers in Shanghai were optimistic about the city's economic development.

(Shanghai Daily August 8, 2008)