FX.co ★ China Youth Jobless Rate Falls to 8-Month Low

China’s urban youth unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, excluding students, edged down to 16.1% in February 2026 from 16.3% in January, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics. Although this was the lowest reading since June of the previous year, the rate remained high, highlighting ongoing economic pressures and a still-fragile labor market following the record 21.3% reached in June 2023. At the same time, unemployment among 25- to 29-year-olds, also excluding students, rose to 7.2% from 6.8% in January, while the jobless rate for the 30–59 age group increased to 4.2% from 4.0%. Earlier figures also showed that China’s overall surveyed urban unemployment rate inched up to 5.3% in February from 5.2% in January, the highest level in six months.