China migrant hukou unemployment rate
China migrant hukou unemployment rate stood at 5.2% in Jul 2026, according to National Statistics Office (NSO) of China (NBS). It is one of the indicators in the Unemployment rate table (Value · Monthly), with a complete series running from Jan 2021 to Jul 2026. The complete series with an interactive chart, free to download.
This indicator in the Unemployment rate table
| Indicator | 07-2026 | 06-2026 | 05-2026 | 04-2026 | 03-2026 | 02-2026 | 01-2026 | 12-2025 | 11-2025 | 10-2025 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Non-local hukou population unemployment | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5 | 5.3 | 5 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 | |
| Youth unemployment (16-24) | 17.9 | 14.9 | 15.6 | 16.3 | 16.9 | 16.1 | 16.3 | 16.5 | 16.9 | 17.3 | |
| Unemployment (25-29) | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 7.2 |
Understanding china migrant hukou unemployment rate
This indicator focuses on measuring the unemployment rate among workers living and working in urban areas who hold permanent household registration addresses elsewhere. The core difference from the general urban unemployment figure is that this number specifically reflects the perspective of migrant workers, who are more vulnerable to economic shocks due to the short-term nature of contracts and welfare barriers. The survey excludes residents with local household registration as well as those outside the labour force.
Data is updated on a monthly frequency and serves as a sensitive tool to identify short-term employment downturns in industrial zones or urban centres. Due to their mobile nature, out-of-town workers tend to leave cities and return to their hometowns when factories close or during major holidays, creating cyclical deviations. Therefore, researchers should place this data in relation to industrial production indices and retail sales to properly assess the true nature of labour migration.
Frequently asked questions
- Who falls under the category of workers with external household registration?
- These are individuals working or seeking work in urban areas who hold permanent household registration in another region or province.
- Why does this metric reflect higher economic sensitivity?
- Migrant workers typically hold positions that are the first to be cut when businesses scale down production.
- How does the Tet labour migration affect the index?
- The return home for holidays reduces the surveyed labour force in the city, creating sharp short-term fluctuations.