Online shops run by college students created 300,000 jobs in 2014, the People’s Daily reported on July 28, citing a report by the China Association of Employment Promotion (CAEP).

Nearly 60 percent of online shops operated by individuals rather than enterprises are run by either college students or college graduates.

Specifically, 22.9 percent are run by college students or graduates with employees, while 36.8 percent are run by students or graduates without staff.

On aggregate, by the end of 2014, China’s online shops had created 10 million jobs, with 6.18 million run by college students or graduates, the newspaper cited the CAEP report as saying.

The Chinese government has been encouraging entrepreneurship and innovation, particularly targeting college students. On the other hand, the large number of graduates each year strains the country’s employment market.

The number of college graduates that registered startup businesses with industry and commerce authorities in 2014 reached nearly 480,000, up 33 percent from the previous year.