China’s employment landscape has remained steady, even as the Spring Festival holiday caused typical seasonal fluctuations in the urban unemployment rate. According to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaged 5.3% in the first two months of 2025, mirroring the same period last year.
In February, the unemployment rate stood at 5.4%, a slight increase from January’s 5.2%. NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui attributed this fluctuation to the Spring Festival, which ran from January 28 to February 4. “The rate typically fluctuates in the January-February period due to the holiday,” Fu explained at a press conference.
Fu emphasized that China’s efforts to boost domestic demand, promote high-quality development, modernize traditional industries, and foster emerging sectors are laying a solid foundation for job growth. However, he noted that significant efforts are still needed to stabilize and expand employment amid a complex international environment and an unsteady domestic economic recovery.
This year, China aims to maintain a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5% and create over 12 million new urban jobs, as outlined in the recent government work report. The country is committed to enhancing its employment-first policy and optimizing the use of various funds and resources to provide stronger support. “These policies are expected to maintain overall employment stability as their impact continues to unfold,” Fu said.
