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China’s youth unemployment falls for sixth consecutive month in February

But young job-hunters say they are still struggling to find work in a testing post-holiday labour market amid rising global economic uncertainty

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Young people line up at career guidance booths during a job fair in Beijing on March 14 as China’s youth unemployment rate grows amid a testing post-holiday labour market. Photo: Reuters
Xinyi Wuin Beijing

China’s urban youth unemployment rate fell in February for the sixth consecutive month, though the marginal improvement provides little reprieve for jobseekers in a challenging post-holiday labour market.

The jobless rate for the 16-to-24 age group, excluding students, edged down to 16.1 per cent in February from 16.3 per cent in January, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday.

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The figure has been gradually declining since August, when a record 12.2 million university graduates entered the job market and pushed the jobless rate to 18.9 per cent – the highest level since students were excluded from the data in December 2023.
Employment and livelihoods were central to the government work report delivered earlier this month, in which Beijing pledged to “formulate employment support policies for college graduates and other young people”.
The job market, weighed down by deflationary pressures and external uncertainties, has proved particularly challenging for young people with limited professional experience.

Leo Wei, who graduated last summer, said he had submitted over 100 résumés since his final year of university.

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“But there were very few roles directly related to my field, so I gradually lowered my salary expectations,” said the biology graduate.

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