BEIJING: China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate fell to 5 percent in June, the lowest level this year, as the government’s push for an “employment first” strategy showed early signs of progress, official data showed on Wednesday.
The rate eased 0.1 percentage point from May and extended its decline from a March peak of 5.4 percent, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.
The first-half average stood at 5.2 percent, unchanged from a year earlier, leaving economists confident that Beijing will comfortably meet its annual target of about 5.5 percent. Together with other indicators, the first-half data “shows the economy is generally stable, with key indicators running within a reasonable range”, NBS Deputy Head Mao Shengyong told a State Council Information Office news conference in Beijing.
He said authorities would step up efforts to stabilize employment, businesses, markets and expectations while promoting higher-quality development and sustaining reasonable economic growth.
The jobless rate rose from 5.2 percent in January to a March peak of 5.4 percent before declining for three consecutive months. Officials attributed the March increase to a seasonal postholiday surge in job-seeking by migrant workers.
In June, the unemployment rate was 5 percent for locally registered workers, 4.9 percent for workers registered outside their place of employment and 4.8 percent for rural migrant workers, the NBS said.
The surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities also fell 0.1 percentage point from May to 5 percent. By the end of June, the number of rural migrant workers employed outside their hometowns reached 192.27 million, up 0.5 percent from a year earlier.
The decline in unemployment came amid a national push to build an “employment-friendly” development model, a concept highlighted in this year’s Government Work Report. The approach places “stable employment” first among four key priorities, followed by stable businesses, markets and expectations. In June, the State Council, China’s Cabinet, unveiled a plan to implement the “employment first” strategy during the 2026-30 period. –The Daily Mail-China Daily news exchange item
