BEIJING - The employment rate of Chinese secondary vocational school graduates maintained above 95 percent in the five years between 2007 to 2011, according to a report released Wednesday.

The report, issued by the Chinese Society of Vocational and Technical Education, said about 30 million students graduated from vocational schools during the period, with half of them working in the tertiary industry.

Over half of the graduates earn a starting salary of 1,500 yuan ($241) or more, according to the report, which was jointly compiled by experts from vocational schools, research institutes and the media.

The rate of self-employed graduates kept rising in the five years, it said. In 2007, 11.01 percent of secondary vocational school graduates chose to open their own businesses. It was 13.36 percent in 2011.

Rural students accounted for 82 percent of the 22 million students in vocational schools in 2012. Among them, 45.7 percent come from households earning an annual income of 3,000 yuan or less, the report said.

According to Wang Jiping, the report's chief editor, China now has more than 13,000 vocational schools. More than 90 percent of vocational school students are subsidized by the state.