FX.co ★ China Youth Jobless Rate Hits 3-Month Low

In September 2025, China's urban youth unemployment rate for individuals aged 16 to 24, excluding students, decreased to 17.7%, showing an improvement from August's figure of 18.9%. The August rate had been the highest since December 2023 and was slightly higher than the 17.6% recorded the previous year. This latest figure represents the lowest rate since June, coinciding with a 6.5% year-on-year growth in industrial production in September, marking the strongest increase in three months. The unemployment rate for those aged 25 to 29, excluding students, remained steady at 7.2%, unchanged from August and the highest since March of this year. Meanwhile, the jobless rate for individuals between 30 and 59 years old held steady at 3.9% for the third consecutive month. The overall urban unemployment rate across all age groups slightly declined to 5.2% in September, down from August’s six-month peak of 5.3%. Notably, China’s statistics bureau had paused the publication of youth unemployment figures in June 2023 following a record rate of 21.3%, but it resumed reporting with an updated methodology later that year.