BEIJING - China's urban unemployment rate stayed at 5.1 percent throughout January and February, according to new research by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

The rate, based on a survey in 31 major cities, was unchanged from January and 0.05 percentage points below the same period of last year, NBS chief Ning Jizhe said in a bylined article posted on the bureau's website on Tuesday.

Although unemployment rose in some regions and sectors, the government's encouraging policies and emerging businesses helped stabilize the job market, Ning wrote.

With consumer prices also remaining stable and indicators starting to show better economic momentum, the country should push forward supply-side structural reform by implementing policies to prune overcapacity, reduce the inventory of unsold homes, curb government debt and ease businesses' tax burdens, he said.