China scraps youth unemployment report in face of rising numbers

Aug. 15 (UPI) -- The Chinese government on Tuesday shelved its monthly report on youth unemployment on Tuesday ahead of an expected seventh consecutive increase.

Unemployment in the 16-24 age group rose to a record 21.3% in June and was projected to rise again before President Xi Jinping's government decided to ditch the data.

National Bureau of Statistics spokesman Fu Linghui said the surveys used to collect data "for youth and other age groups" needed to be "further improved and optimized" as he explained the decision in a news conference.

"The economy and society are constantly developing and changing, statistics need to be constantly improved," he said.

Fu also sought to affirm that the employment market for Chinese college graduates is "generally stable" and graduate employment rate was "slightly higher" than this time last year.

"Most university graduates have already confirmed their employment destination," he said.

Youth unemployment has risen rapidly, doubling in the past four years. China's stringent crackdown on COVID-19 has been partly to blame and the figures have failed to recover since. The crackdown caused Chinese students to struggle to get internships and job offers.

Young Chinese workers have struggled to enter the economy. Last year, about 47% returned to their hometowns after graduating and finding the job competition stiff. That number was 43% in 2018.

The state of China's economy was also put into question as additional economic reports that were released as plans showed retail sales and growth in