China maintains stable employment despite seasonal fluctuation

BEIJING, March 17 (Xinhua) -- China's overall employment landscape has remained stable despite a fluctuation in its urban unemployment rate due to the Spring Festival holiday, official data showed Monday.

The country's surveyed urban unemployment rate on average stood at 5.3 percent in the first two months of 2025, unchanged from the same period last year, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In February, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.4 percent, up from 5.2 percent in January.

NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui said that the rate typically fluctuates in the January-February period due to the Spring Festival holiday, which ran from Jan. 28 to Feb. 4 this year.

China's efforts to stimulate domestic demand, promote high-quality development, upgrade traditional industries, and foster emerging sectors and business models are expected to provide a strong foundation for job growth, Fu told a press conference.

This year, significant efforts are still needed to stabilize and expand employment, he said, noting that "the international environment is complex and challenging, while the foundation for domestic economic recovery is not yet stable."

China has set a target for a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent in 2025 and aims to create over 12 million new urban jobs, according to this year's government work report released last week.

This year, the country is committed to further refining the employment-first policy and making better use of various types of funds and resources to provide stronger support. These policies are expected to maintain overall employment stability as their impact continues to unfold, according to Fu.