Youth unemployment on the agenda in China

The unemployment rate among youth in China rose again in March, reaching 16.9 percent. The rate is expected to climb further as millions of young people graduating in the summer months enter the workforce.

The difficulty young people face in finding jobs in China has begun to reach concerning levels. As of March, the unemployment rate among the working population aged 16-24 was recorded at 16.9 percent. This rate was at 16.1 percent the previous month. The youth unemployment rate, which had shown a downward trend for the last six months, began to rise again in March.

According to data from the National Bureau of Statistics of China, youth unemployment was 17.7 percent in September of last year, after which it fell steadily in the following months, dropping to 16.1 percent in February. However, this decline ended as of March this year.

''YOUTH UNEMPLOYMENT HAS SURPASSED GENERAL UNEMPLOYMENT''

In China, where the general unemployment rate across the country is at 5.4 percent, youth unemployment has long remained well above the general unemployment rate. Experts state that young people are experiencing significant difficulties in finding jobs, particularly due to domestic economic problems, global uncertainties, and a contraction in the job market.

Youth unemployment in China led to a temporary suspension of data published by age group after it reached a historic peak of 21.3 percent in July 2023. In December 2023, a new calculation method was adopted for this data, excluding high school and university students who are still in education. Following this adjustment, it reached its highest level at 18.9 percent in August 2025.

Approximately 12.7 million students are expected to graduate in the summer of 2026. Economists are concerned that the entry of this large cohort of graduates into the labor market will increase unemployment among the youth.