[April19TohoShinpo]According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate for young people aged 25 to 29 in urban areas was 7.2 percent in March, an increase of 0.8 points from February. The unemployment rate for young people aged 16 to 24 was 15.3 percent, about the same level as in February.

Please note that these statistics do not include current students attending schools and universities.

Meanwhile, the average unemployment rate in urban areas for the first quarter was 5.2 percent, down 0.3 percent from the same period last year.

At a press conference held in Beijing, Deputy Director-General of the National Bureau of Statistics Sheng Laiun said, “11.76 million new university graduates will enter the job market this year.The government has taken many measures to support young people’s employment.” However, youth unemployment rose slightly in the first three months of the year.More support and efforts are needed to promote youth employment.” (c)Touhou Shimpo/AFPBB News