The employment rate of new college graduates this year is 2 to 3 percentage points higher than last year as of July 2, Minister of Education Huai Jinpeng said on Wednesday, without giving the specific figure.

Huai noted the number of college graduates this year reached 11.58 million, up 8 percent from last year.

Thanks to the work by central authorities and efforts made by the whole society, achievements have been made, he said at a news conference at the State Council Information Office.

According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate of young people aged 16 to 24 stood at 20.8 percent in May.

The bureau clarified about 6 million people in the age group were unemployed, as many of the 96 million people are still in school.

With more than 10 million new college graduates entering the work force, they will inject great vitality to social development and innovation and research, Huai said.

The government should offer support and so college graduates can find work, especially for graduates with difficulties, who have been offered at least three to five job posts, Huai said.

He also noted the structure of university majors should better match and even exceed the demand of social and economic development, so students can put what they have learned to good use and there are enough talent for social development.

Meanwhile, young people today have a very different mentality about employment than those from 10 or even five years ago, Huai said. Many students have diverse career choices, and many have chosen flexible work or wait for the best job opportunity even though they have several offers.

"However, we advocated for a more proactive employment concept and encouraged students to learn about society and create value through employment."

Deng Chuanhuai, director of the ministry's department of policies and regulations, said in order to boost employment for college graduates, the ministry has asked universities to visit enterprises and invite them to open job fairs at universities.

For students that have not found jobs, the ministry has asked universities to offered tailored guidance to them and encouraged students to find internships to boost their confidence.

Students who have not found jobs after graduation will continue to receive recommendations for job posts, employment services and assistance from the universities, he said.

The ministry has also conducted surveys graduates to better learn about the employment situations of different majors and make adjustments accordingly, he added.

Zhao Jie, a soon-to-be graduate at a university in Anqing, Anhui province, said finding a decent job has not been easy.

However, thanks to a visit by the university's vice president Wu Qiong, Zhao has secured a job at Anhui ARN Group, a car component manufacturing company in Anqing.

To expand the employment channel for college graduates, since last year the Ministry of Education has asked university administrators to visit at least 100 enterprises each year.

Administrators at Zhao's university, Anqing Normal University, have visited almost 300 enterprises since March, according to Xia Fei, vice director of the university's department of student affairs.

Wu visited the company on March 11, and the two sides signed cooperation agreements to establish internships and an employment center at the company.

Thanks to the agreements, Zhao has gotten interview opportunities at the company and has obtained an offer to work there.

"I am very satisfied with the job, as it is closely related with my major and I can put what I have learned at university into good use," Zhao said.