China's youth unemployment rate remains 'stubbornly high'

The rate "remains stubbornly high," the South China Morning Post ( SCMP ) reported, the day after China's National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) released data on youth unemployment. It stood at 14.9% in May 2025.

For people aged 16 to 24 living in urban areas, excluding students, this rate is up from the May 2024 figure, which was already 14.2%. Above all, the SCMP warns, “it is likely to climb again when a record 12.2 million students graduate and enter the job market this summer.” A situation that NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui explains in these carefully chosen terms:

“China continues to face pressure to maintain stable employment, mainly due to complex changes in the external environment.”

The very publication of this figure is news in itself, given the sensitive nature of the rate—to the point that the authorities simply banned its publication for six months, starting in June 2023, when it exceeded 21%. In a notorious sleight of hand, the SNB resumed publication of the rate in early 2024, excluding students from its calculation. The rate then, as if by magic, dropped back to 14.9%—precisely the same value as the one announced today.

The Chinese authorities are keeping a close eye on youth unemployment, as part of the tacit consensus between the ruling Communist Party and the Chinese population since the Tiananmen protests of 1989—which originated precisely among young people: the government guarantees you development and an increase in your standard of living; in exchange, you let it govern without political opposition from outside the party. However, if living standards decline, protest and revolt are likely to erupt.

Beyond statistical arrangements, Chinese authorities are multiplying measures to try to stem this trend – with varying degrees of consistency. Thus, in April, the SCMP recalls, “several ministries announced a new set of measures, which includes granting subsidies to companies that hire unemployed young people or recent graduates.”

Less officially, universities are being encouraged to ask their students to stay on for a postgraduate degree , in order to lessen the burden on the job market. This is called taking a step back to take a step back. In the end, the unemployment gap remains the same.