BEIJING, May 21  -- China added 4.73 million jobs in the first four months of 2014, slightly more than the number created in the same period last year, figures from the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MHRSS) showed on Wednesday.

"China's job market is growing steadily," said Xin Changxing, vice minister of the MHRSS at a press conference here.

By the end of March, the country's registered urban unemployment rate stood at 4.08 percent.

"The rate was 0.03 percentage points higher than at the end of last year, but it was still considered to be a relatively low level," said Xin.

In the first quarter, China's economic growth dipped to 7.4 percent, the lowest level since the third quarter of 2012.

"China's job market has proved to be resilient despite the slowdown, as the country is trying to achieve growth that can bring jobs and ensure fairly full employment," according to Xin.