Skip to main content Skip to footer 
Youth unemployment in China surged to 18.8 percent in August, marking its highest level this year, as the nation grapples with an economic downturn. The National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) reported that the jobless rate among 16- to 24-year-olds not in education rose from 17.1 percent in July.
This spike follows a peak of 21.3 percent in June 2023 before authorities suspended the publication of such figures and revised the methodology to exclude students. Nearly 12 million students graduated from Chinese universities in June, intensifying competition in an already saturated job market.
President Xi Jinping emphasized in May that addressing youth unemployment must be treated as a “top priority.” Meanwhile, unemployment for those aged 25-29 also edged up to 6.9 percent in August from 6.5 percent in July.
These unemployment figures come alongside lackluster economic data, with weak retail sales and sluggish industrial production growth. The NBS previously acknowledged that “domestic demand is still insufficient, and the economy is still facing many difficulties and challenges in its continued recovery.”
