China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate eased to 5.2% in April 2026, down from a more than one-year high of 5.4% in March. The reading came in below market expectations of 5.3% and marked the lowest level since January 2026.
By registration status, the unemployment rate among the locally registered labor force edged down to 5.3% from 5.4% in March, while the rate for the migrant labor force declined more noticeably to 5.0% from 5.3%. Within the migrant workforce, those with agricultural household registration (rural hukou) registered an unemployment rate of 5.0% in April, compared with 5.7% a month earlier.
Across 31 major cities, the surveyed urban unemployment rate also slipped to 5.2% from 5.3%. Nationwide, enterprise employees worked an average of 48 hours per week. For the January–April period, the average surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.3%.
