(Yicai) Feb. 26 -- Shanghai will hold no less than 2,000 job fairs this year, with more than 300,000 jobs and over 30,000 trainee positions on offer, according to a plan released at the spring careers fair in the city.

The spring job fair, Shanghai’s first big recruitment event after the lunar new year holiday, kicked off on Feb. 24 about half a month earlier than in previous years. All 16 districts of the city are hosting sessions.

More than 1,000 companies in the construction, logistics, biopharmaceuticals, modern manufacturing, hotels, culture, tourism, and other sectors are hiring for more than 20,000 vacancies at the spring event.

Shanghai's economy continues to stabilize and grow, and the demand for corporate labor is rising, according to a source at the city’s human resources and social security bureau. Around the lunar new year period is a peak season for job hunting, returning to work, and for businesses to get back to work, the person noted, adding that holding the spring job fair in advance can better serve employers and workers.

The fair is mainly for youngsters and workers coming to Shanghai from other areas and seeks to attract more people to work in the city, the source pointed out.

Shanghai has generally stable employment, with a lower surveyed unemployment rate compared with the end of last year, Zhang Lan, deputy director of the human resources and social security bureau, said at the careers fair.

The bureau will draw up special recruitment strategies for key companies, Zhang said. It will also help some groups, including migrant workers and young college graduates, find work through targeted measures, Zhang added.

Editor: Martin Kadiev