Chinese Communist Party Claims Youth Unemployment Rate Rose in the First Quarter, Did Not Release Data.

In a recent announcement, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials stated that the youth unemployment rate had slightly increased in the first quarter and requires high attention, but no specific data was disclosed.

On April 16, Sheng Laiyun, the deputy director of the CCP National Bureau of Statistics, stated in a press conference that in the first quarter, the national urban survey unemployment rate averaged 5.2%, a 0.3 percentage point decrease from the same period last year. In March, the national urban survey unemployment rate was 5.2%, a 0.1 percentage point decrease from the previous month and the same month last year.

In terms of employment, attention needs to be paid to structural contradictions. On one hand, there is a shortage of frontline blue-collar workers and skilled workers, while on the other hand, young college graduates face greater employment pressure. This year, 11.76 million college graduates entered the labor market.

Sheng Laiyun mentioned that based on the situation in the first quarter, the youth unemployment rate has slightly risen and requires high attention.

According to data on the official website of the CCP National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate for the 16 to 24 age group in urban areas excluding students was 14.6% in January, 15.3% in February, and the data for March has not been publicly released yet.

Last June, after the unemployment rate for the 16-24 age group surged to a historic high of 21.3%, the authorities paused the publication of this data. In January this year, the bureau released youth unemployment rate data for December last year, with the adjusted statistics not including students still in school.

However, the CCP official data often conceals unfavorable situations, and the actual figures may be worse.

Responsibility editor: Ren Zijun#