China’s August urban unemployment rate rises seasonally to 5.3% as graduates enter labor market
China’s National Bureau of Statistics reported on September 15 that the urban surveyed unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in August, up 0.1 percentage points from July, driven by seasonal entry of new graduates. The January–August average remained 5.2%, unchanged year-on-year. The core working-age group (30–59) held steady at 3.9%. Employment in IT, software, and accommodation sectors grew, while manufacturing stayed generally stable.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page reads the event directly, while its address stays stable when the title changes.
- Summary covers the current reports
Cross-source coverage
Reporting timeline
China's August Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3% Due to New Graduates Entering Labor Market
On September 15, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that China's surveyed urban unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in August, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from July. NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui attributed the rise primarily to a seasonal impact from the concentrated entry of new graduates into the labor market. The unemployment rate for the core working-age population aged 30 to 59 remained stable at 3.9%, unchanged from both the previous month and the same period last year. By sector, employment in manufacturing remained generally stable, while information transmission, software, and IT services saw notable year-on-year increases. Employment in accommodation and catering continued to expand, supported by domestic cultural tourism and leisure development, which helped maintain overall employment stability. Some industries experienced year-on-year employment declines due to structural adjustment factors.
Read sourceChina's August Urban Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3% on Graduates Entering Labor Market
The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that China's surveyed urban unemployment rate in August reached 5.3%, a 0.1 percentage point increase from July. NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui attributed the rise primarily to seasonal factors, as a large number of new graduates entered the labor market. For the core working-age population aged 30-59, the unemployment rate remained stable at 3.9%, unchanged month-on-month and year-on-year. By sector, manufacturing employment remained generally stable despite structural adjustments in some industries. Employment in information transmission, software, and information technology services saw significant year-on-year growth. The accommodation and catering sectors continued to expand, supported by domestic growth in culture, tourism, and leisure activities, which helped maintain overall employment stability. The data was released at a press conference hosted by the State Council Information Office.
Read sourceChina's August Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3% Due to New Graduates Entering Labor Market
On September 15, China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the surveyed urban unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in August, an increase of 0.1 percentage points from July. NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui attributed the rise primarily to a seasonal impact from the concentrated entry of new graduates into the labor market. For the core working-age population aged 30 to 59, the unemployment rate remained stable at 3.9%, unchanged from both the previous month and the same period last year. By sector, employment in manufacturing remained generally stable despite some industries experiencing year-on-year declines due to structural adjustments. The information transmission, software, and IT services sectors saw significant employment growth. Driven by the development of domestic cultural tourism and leisure activities, employment in the accommodation and catering industries continued to expand, contributing to overall employment stability.
Read sourceShow 2 older updatesHide older updates
China's August Urban Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3%, Employment Remains Generally Stable
According to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics on September 15, the nationwide urban surveyed unemployment rate for January–August averaged 5.2%, unchanged from the same period last year. In August, the rate stood at 5.3%, up 0.1 percentage points from the previous month. The surveyed unemployment rate for local-hukou workers was 5.3%, while for non-local-hukou workers it was 5.2%, with non-local agricultural-hukou workers at 5.0%. In 31 major cities, the urban surveyed unemployment rate was also 5.3%, up 0.1 percentage points month-on-month. The average weekly working hours for employed persons in enterprises nationwide were 48.2 hours. The report indicates that the employment situation remains generally stable despite the seasonal rise in August.
Read sourceChina's Urban Unemployment Rate Rises Seasonally to 5.3% in August, NBS Says
According to data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) on September 15, the country's employment situation remained generally stable in the first eight months of 2024. The average urban surveyed unemployment rate for January-August stood at 5.2%, unchanged from the same period last year. In August, the national urban surveyed unemployment rate rose to 5.3%, up 0.1 percentage points from July, reflecting a seasonal increase. The surveyed unemployment rate for local-hukou workers was 5.3%, while for migrant-hukou workers it was 5.2%, with migrant agricultural-hukou workers at 5.0%. In 31 major cities, the urban surveyed unemployment rate also rose 0.1 percentage points from July to 5.3%. The average weekly working hours for employees in enterprises nationwide were 48.2 hours. The NBS attributed the monthly rise to seasonal factors, maintaining an overall stable assessment.
Read source