China will step up efforts to help this year's college graduates find employment smoothly, an official with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security said on Wednesday.

College graduates hand in resumes at a job fair in Heihe, Heilongjiang province, on Nov 19, 2019. (Phott: China Daily)

Song Xin, deputy director of the ministry's employment promotion department, said at a news conference the number of college graduates this year will reach a record high of 8.74 million, which is 400,000 more than the same period last year.

Due to the novel coronavirus epidemic, college graduates have faced many difficulties and inconveniences in finding jobs, he said.

To help ease employment difficulties, the ministry and the Ministry of Education will initiate a survey to better understand urgent problems faced by graduates under the impact of the epidemic. They will then study the results and promote relevant polices as soon as possible, he said.

A series of online recruitment activities will also be organized, and an independent job search area will be set up on platforms of major human resource service agencies.

Experts in public employment will be invited to offer career guidance courses online to answer graduates' questions and provide career and psychological counseling, Song added.

Personnel service agencies across the country will extend the deadline for registration and try their best to handle procedures online, he said, adding they will also suggest employers to prolong recruitment time and postpone admission and medical examinations.

"Hubei province has been severely affected by the epidemic this time. We will specifically focus on the employment of college graduates in Hubei and implement necessary measures to broaden access to employment and increase opportunities," he said.