To use this site, please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page.
This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content, and analyzing our website traffic. By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies.
Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent. We apologize for any inconvenience caused.
Reuters People attend a job fair following the Lunar New Year holiday, in Beijing, China, February 23, 2024.
Reuters
14:03 JST, March 20, 2025
BEIJING, March 20 (Reuters) – Joblessness among youth in Chinese cities rose a second month in February, tracking the nation’s jobless rate which reached a two-year high, official data showed on Thursday.
The urban jobless rate for 16-to-24-year-olds, excluding students, grew to 16.9% from 16.1% in January, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.
The unemployment rate for 25-29-year-olds climbed to 7.3% from 6.9%, as did the jobless rate for 30-59-year-olds at 4.3% from 4.0%.
China’s nationwide survey-based urban jobless rate was at its highest in two years at 5.4%, according to data released by the statistics bureau on Monday.
China stopped reporting the data for youth joblessness for months after the unemployment rate for 16-24-year-olds hit a record 21.3% in June 2023.
The National Bureau of Statistics resumed publishing the closely watched benchmark in December that year, after changing the methodology to exclude students.
The jobless rate does not account for job seekers who have given up on job searches, and does not assess the unemployment situation in rural China.
China’s leaders havepledged stronger fiscal and monetary support for the economy, with a particular emphasis on spurring domestic consumption as trade pressures from the United States cloud its economic outlook.
Top leaders in China have maintained an economic growth target of “around 5%” for 2025, but analysts say that may be a tall order given pressure on exports, tepid household demand and a protracted property crisis.
