2026.04.2804:10:42UTC+00China Adds 2.99 Million New Urban Jobs in Q1

China’s urban job market added 2.99 million new positions in the first quarter of 2026, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaging 5.3%, according to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, as cited by local media. During this period, authorities prioritized employment support for key groups—particularly college graduates and young people—by leveraging the crucial window as graduates enter the labor market and accelerating measures to help more people secure jobs as early as possible, ministry spokesperson Cui Pengcheng said at a news conference on Tuesday. China has set a target of around 5.5% for the surveyed urban unemployment rate in 2026 and aims to create more than 12 million new urban jobs this year. Working with other government departments, the ministry has helped organize about 59,000 job fairs nationwide, offering 36 million positions. Nearly 1 million “point-to-point” transportation services have also been arranged for migrant workers, Cui added.