China’s youth unemployment rate eased to 16.5 percent in December, multiple media outlets report. The rate has been falling since its 2025 peak of 18.9 percent in August, when a record cohort of more than 12 million university graduates entered the workforce last summer.
Data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Thursday showed last month’s unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, edged further downwards from 16.9 percent in November.
Despite the improvement, officials acknowledge that mismatches between skills and available jobs – alongside weak domestic demand – continue to weigh on hiring.
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Employment featured prominently at December’s central economic work conference, where China’s leadership signalled stronger policy coordination to support graduates and migrant workers. This week, vice finance minister Liao Min said that job market support would remain a policy focus through 2026 to ensure a stable start to the 15th Five-Year Plan.
Wang Xiaoping, minister of human resources and social security, echoed that message by describing stabling employment as a core political responsibility. She noted that efforts would centre around building a more employment-friendly growth model amid the “complex and changing international environment.”
The labour market also improved slightly for people aged 25 to 29 in December, falling from 7.2 percent in November to 6.9 percent, while the national rate held steady at 5.1 percent.
