China Youth Jobless Rate Hits 5-Month Low

China’s urban youth unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, excluding students, fell to 16.5% in December 2025 from 16.9% in the previous month, marking the lowest level since June, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released on Thursday. The improvement suggests tentative stabilization in the labor market amid a gradual economic recovery, supported by stronger services activity and targeted policy measures to support hiring. Meanwhile, unemployment among the 25–29-year-old segment, also excluding college students, dropped to 6.9% from 7.2%, while those in the 30–59 age group saw joblessness edge up to 3.9% from 3.8% in November. Separately, figures released earlier showed the country’s surveyed unemployment rate stood at 5.1% in December, unchanged for a second consecutive month and remaining at its lowest level in four months. For the full year of 2025, the urban unemployment rate averaged 5.2%.

China’s urban youth unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, excluding students, dropped to 16.9% in November 2025 from 17.3% in the previous month, marking the lowest level since June, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics released Thursday. The improvement suggests tentative stabilization in the labor market amid gradual economic recovery, supported by stronger services activity and targeted policy measures to support hiring. However, the jobless rate remains elevated by historical standards, reflecting ongoing structural challenges and subdued private-sector confidence. Meanwhile, figures released earlier showed the surveyed jobless rate in the country stood at 5.1% in November, keeping the same level as in October and staying at its lowest figure in four months.

China’s urban youth unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, excluding students, declined to 17.3% in October 2025, down from 17.7% in September, marking the lowest level since June, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed on Tuesday. The unemployment rate for workers aged 25 to 29, excluding students, remained at 7.2%, unchanged from September and the highest since March this year. Meanwhile, the jobless rate for 30- to 59-year-olds fell to 3.8%, down from 3.9% in September, marking its first decline in four months. The overall urban unemployment rate across all age groups edged down to 5.1% in October, from September’s 5.2%, reaching a four-month low. China’s statistics bureau had suspended the release of youth unemployment figures in June 2023, after the rate hit a record 21.3%, before resuming publication later that year using an updated methodology.