(Yicai) Jan. 21 -- The youth urban unemployment rate in China declined for the fourth consecutive month in December, according to the latest official data.

The jobless rate in Chinese cities for people aged 16 to 24 years old fell to 15.7 percent last month from 16.1 percent in November, according to data released yesterday by the National Bureau of Statistics.

China suspended reporting the data for the youth unemployment rate in June 2023 and then resumed in December of that year. Since then, joblessness has been reported by three age groups -- 16 to 24, 25 to 29, and 30 to 59 -- excluding students.

In December, the urban unemployment rate for people aged 25 to 29 fell to 6.6 percent from 6.7 percent the previous month, while that for those aged 30 to 59 rose to 3.9 percent from 3.8 percent, the NBS data also showed.

China’s average urban surveyed unemployment rate declined to 5.1 percent in 2024 from 5.2 percent in 2023, beating expectations for around 5.5 percent, said Wang Pingping, head of the NBS’ Department of Population and Employment Statistics.

Last year, the overall urban unemployment rate rose to 5.2 percent in January and 5.3 percent in February because of the winter season and the Chinese New Year holiday. After March, the rate fell back but returned to rise to 5.2 percent in July and 5.3 percent in August because of the graduation and summer vacation season.

In December, the jobless rate in Chinese cities fell to 5.1 percent from the previous month, mainly because of lower labor demand as some industries entered the off-peak season.

Editor: Futura Costaglione