Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao has urged the country's college students to find grassroots jobs in less developed regions as the economic downturn increases pressures in employment market.

Visiting Xi'an, capital of central Shaanxi Province, from Friday to Sunday, Wen said employment was one of the government's priorities for the sake of the country's economy and for the future of individuals.

"College students, laid-off workers and migrant workers waiting for jobs are my biggest concern," Wen told job hunters at an employment center.

He encouraged graduates from universities and colleges to find work in grassroots regions, and called on employers to create more jobs.

Since the second half of last year, the government has implemented a series of policies to create jobs. The State Council, or Cabinet, also decided to give living allowances to graduates who went to the central and western regions for internships.

Everyone should have a resolute belief that they should try their best no matter what their job was, Wen told students at Xi'an Jiaotong University.

During a visit to a village in the city's outskirts, he said the government would promise the country's farmers higher incomes by raising the average procurement price of wheat by 0.1 yuan per 500g.

When the market price went up, sell the products to the market, when it went down, sell them to the government, Wen told farmers.

Wen also went to a main production base of BYD Company Ltd., a Hong Kong-listed indigenous auto maker specializing in electric-powered technologies.

Wen got into a new hybrid vehicle using gas and electricity and encouraged the company to achieve more independent technological breakthroughs.

He said the government's policy of development of western regions had proved successful over the past 10 years.

Governments at all levels should continue the policy and formulate more support measures to improve living standards for people in western regions, Wen said.

(Xinhua News Agency June 7, 2009)