China’s surveyed urban unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in August 2026 from 5.2% in the previous month, surpassing market expectations of 5.2% and marking the highest reading since March. Among the locally registered labor force, the jobless rate increased to 5.3% from 5.2% in July, while the rate for migrant workers rose to 5.2% from 5.1%. Within the migrant labor force, the unemployment rate for agricultural workers stood at 5.0%, up from 4.9% in the previous month. Across 31 major cities, the surveyed urban unemployment rate increased to 5.3% from 5.2% in July. Employees at enterprises worked an average of 48.2 hours per week. From January to August, the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaged 5.
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