The latest official data from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) shows that in September, the unemployment rate for 16-24-year-old non-students was 17.6%, marking the second highest level of the year.
On October 22, the National Bureau of Statistics of the CCP released the unemployment rate data for September divided by age groups.
The data reveals that in September, the unemployment rate for non-student labor force aged 16 to 24 in urban areas across the country was 17.6%, lower than the peak of 18.8% in August but still the second highest this year. The unemployment rate for non-student labor force aged 25 to 29 was 6.7%, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from August; while the rate for non-student labor force aged 30 to 59 was 3.9%, remaining the same as in July and August.
Earlier on October 18, the National Bureau of Statistics released data indicating a continuous slowdown in the Chinese economy. From July to September, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew by 4.6% compared to the same period last year, calculated at constant prices. This growth rate is slightly lower than the 4.7% growth seen from April to June and marks the slowest growth rate since early 2023.
However, CCP’s official data often conceals unfavorable situations, and the actual data may be even worse.
From April to June 2023, the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds had consecutively exceeded 20%, reaching its highest level in June at 21.3%. Subsequently, the CCP officially announced the suspension of releasing urban surveyed unemployment rates by age group since August of the previous year. Starting from January this year, the statistical bureau adjusted the counting method, excluding students and resumed publishing the unemployment rate by age group.
In June this year, the youth unemployment rate briefly dropped to 13.2%, but in July it rose to 17.1%, reaching 18.8% in August, marking the highest point of the year so far.