Premier Li Keqiang has pledged to create at least 10 million jobs this year, keeping the target unchanged from last year, despite China’s slowing economic growth.

China’s economy created 13.22 million new jobs in its urban areas last year, but the growth rate in new jobs has been declining since 2010, the human resources ministry said last week. The economy grew 7.4% for the full year, the slowest in decades.

Ensuring employment remains Beijing’s top priority, and the premier stressed that the government will keep economic growth at a medium-to-high speed, the official China Daily reported on Tuesday.

“Stress tests show the possibility of a large amount of unemployment, which could lead to social instability if the economy cools down too fast,” Mr. Li said at a meeting with economists and business leaders on Monday, according to the report.

Beijing is widely expected to unveil a lower economic growth target for 2015 at its annual session of parliament in March. Mr. Li, speaking last week at the global forum in Davos, Switzerland, said China wouldn’t use a major stimulus program to boost growth but his latest remarks suggest that decision makers are willing to use limited growth-boosting policies to ensure sufficient employment.