China's employment situation better than expected in Q3, but challenges remain

Overseas returnees communicate with employers at a job fair during the 19th Conference on International Exchange of Professionals (CIEP) in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, April 24, 2021. (Xinhua/Mao Siqian)

China's employment situation in the third quarter was generally stable and better than expected, a spokesperson with the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security (MOHRSS) said on Wednesday, while more still needs to be done given the rising uncertainties of the international environment and the uneven recovery of the domestic economy.

The creation of new jobs in cities and towns across the country was faster than scheduled, reaching 10.45 million jobs from January to September, completing 95 percent of the target tasks, MOHRSS spokesperson Lu Hongai told a regular press conference on Wednesday.

In the third quarter, the surveyed unemployment rate in cities and towns across the country fell back to the pre-epidemic level, with an average of 5.0 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the same period in 2019, Lu said.

Among them, the urban unemployment rate in September was 4.9 percent, a decrease of 0.2 percentage points from the previous month and a decrease of 0.5 percentage points year-on-year.

While the employment situation is expected to remain steady for the rest of the year, the growing complexity of the global environment and the unstable and uneven recovery of the domestic economy continue to pose risks and uncertainty for the employment situation, Song Xin, deputy director of the Employment Promotion Department of the MOHRSS, said at the press conference on Wednesday.

In order to secure a smooth growth trend for the employment rate, corresponding measures such as alleviating pressure for companies, stimulating start-up businesses, and supporting graduate training capacity will be put in place.

The government will strengthen the construction of entrepreneurship incubation demonstration bases and encourage and guide entrepreneurship as a way to promote employment, Song said.