China reports lower unemployment rate in March on solid economic growth

BEIJING -- The Chinese economy showed positive signs in the first quarter, reporting lower unemployment rate and faster income growth, official data showed Wednesday.

The surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas stood at 5.2 percent last month, down 0.1 percentage points from the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

The surveyed unemployment rate of those aged between 25-59 was 4.8 percent.

The number of rural migrant workers reached 176.51 million, up 1.2 percent year on year, the NBS data showed.

Describing the job market as "stable overall," Mao Shengyong, spokesperson for the NBS, said the country created 3.24 million urban jobs in the first quarter, 29.5 percent of the annual goal.

China has vowed to create more than 11 million new urban jobs in 2019, and ensure an around-5.5 percent surveyed unemployment rate and a registered unemployment rate below 4.5 percent, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security.

To achieve such targets, the country has made stable employment a priority, with various measures unveiled.