China's August Urban Surveyed Unemployment Rate Rises to 5.3%

China's urban surveyed unemployment rate rose to 5.3% in August from 5.2% in July, up 0.1 percentage point, mainly because new graduates entered the labor market, Fu Linghui, spokesperson for China's National Bureau of Statistics and chief economist, said at a State Council Information Office briefing on September 15, according to Jiemian News. Fu said the surveyed unemployment rate for the 30-59 age group was 3.9%, unchanged from both the previous month and a year earlier. He added that manufacturing employment remained broadly stable, jobs in information transmission, software and information technology services increased significantly, and employment in accommodation and catering continued to expand on the back of domestic tourism and leisure demand.