China: unemployment up sharply in the face of the resurgence of Covid

Few Pekingese have walked the streets of Beijing since the resurgence of Covid-19 in China.

(Illustrative photo).

AP - Ng Han Guan

Text by: RFI Follow

1 min

Unemployment continues to rise in China.

According to figures published by the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate reached 6.1% in April.

This is an upward record, since March 2020. A poor performance linked to the resurgence of the epidemic and the health restrictions that accompany it.

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With our correspondent in Beijing,

There are tax reductions for companies, there are sometimes rental repossessions by local governments for businesses located in cities and provinces under cover - as is currently the case in

-, but “

” does not exist in China.

As in the winter and spring of 2020, many companies have been forced to lay off their employees in recent weeks.

For most, especially migrant workers, epidemic recovery and zero covid means zero income.

The fault of repeated confinements, of consumption at half mast.

Another figure to remember in the balance sheets published this Monday, May 16 by the National Bureau of Statistics, that of retail sales: -11.1% over one year last month.

In other words, most Chinese traders are struggling right now.

What can be seen in the landscape: in Beijing, restaurants, hair salons, cooking workshops, private lessons, have not reopened since the first Covid waves.

And it's the same in the 31 cities surveyed in the

.

The services are very affected by the health measures linked to the Omicron rebound.

Another black spot: youth employment.

The unemployment rate for 16 to 24 year olds reached 18.2% in April – against 5.3% for 25 to 59 year olds – again a record increase.

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• China

• Employment and Labor