China reports slightly higher unemployment rate in April

BEIJING -- China's job market remained generally stable in April, with the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas standing at 6 percent, 0.1 percentage points higher than that in March, the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) said Friday.

A total of 3.54 million new urban jobs were created in the first four months of 2020, a reduction of 1.05 million compared to the same period last year, the NBS said.

The surveyed unemployment rate among people aged between 25 and 59, the majority of the labor market, stood at 5.5 percent in April, 0.1 percentage points higher from the March level.

Meanwhile, the surveyed urban unemployment rate of 31 major cities was 5.8 percent last month, 0.1 percentage points higher than that in March, according to the NBS.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed people who have participated in the employment survey in urban areas, including migrant workers in cities.

With the continued prevention and control of the COVID-19 epidemic as a precondition, China should continue its efforts to ensure stability in employment, the NBS said.