In April, youth and migrant worker unemployment rates declined from high levels, with the unemployment rate for those over 25 being the second highest on record.

【Caixin】 The nationwide urban survey unemployment rate for April 2026 fell month-on-month across the country, but it remained higher than the same period last year. By age group, the unemployment rates for young people and migrant workers excluding students saw a pullback from the high level of the previous month, while the unemployment rates for the 25–29 and 30–59 workforce recorded the second-highest levels since statistics began.

The unemployment rate data by age group released by the National Bureau of Statistics on May 20 shows that in April, the surveyed unemployment rate for the 16–24 workforce (excluding students) was 16.3%, down 0.6 percentage points from the previous month; the surveyed unemployment rates for the 25–29 and 30–59 workforce (excluding students) were 7.4% and 4.2%, respectively, each down 0.3 and 0.1 percentage points from the previous month.