China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate for 16–24-year-olds, excluding students, fell for the third consecutive month to 14.9% in June 2026, down from 15.6% in May and marking the lowest level in a year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The continued decline signals a gradual improvement in youth employment, supported by government measures to stabilize the labor market, bolster economic growth, and better align university curricula with labor market demand. Nevertheless, the rate remained above the 14.5% recorded in June 2025.
Unemployment among 25–29-year-olds, excluding students, also edged down, to 7.1% from 7.2%, while the jobless rate for the 30–59 age group eased to 4.0% from 4.1%. The overall surveyed urban unemployment rate slipped slightly as well, to 5.0% in June from 5.1% in May.
