China's job market remained stable in the first quarter of the year, with the surveyed unemployment rate staying within a reasonable range as the economy got off to a solid start, the National Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday.

The unemployment rate in urban areas rose to 5.3 percent in the first quarter, up 0.3 percentage points from the previous quarter, the bureau said.

In March, the surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent, down 0.2 percentage points from February. The same rate was recorded in January.

In China's 31 major cities, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou in southern Guangdong province, the surveyed unemployment rate also held steady at 5.2 percent in March.

All of these figures are within the government's annual target, which was outlined in the Government Work Report released last month. The report set a goal of keeping the urban surveyed unemployment rate around 5.5 percent in major cities this year.

Sheng Laiyun, deputy head of the statistics bureau, said at a news conference in Beijing that the economy has had a strong start to the year, laying a solid foundation for stable employment and income growth.

"We've seen the unemployment rate in March fall by 0.2 percentage points from February," Sheng said. "Per capita disposable income rose by 5.6 percent in the first quarter, excluding the impact of inflation, which is roughly in line with GDP growth."

At a separate news conference in mid-March, bureau spokesman Fu Linghui said the jobless rate typically sees a seasonal rise in January and February as many workers return to their hometowns for Spring Festival, one of China's most important annual holidays for family reunions.

He said that based on the figures from the first two months, employment remained within a reasonable and stable range.

chengsi@chinadaily.com.cn