中国青年失业率在9月略有下降，部分毕业生找到了工作，但年轻求职者仍面临严峻的就业市场，因为雇主越来越看重具备相关工作经验的候选人，而非单纯的学历资质。
China’s youth unemployment rate edged down slightly in September as some graduates secured jobs, but young jobseekers still face a tough market as employers increasingly look beyond academic qualifications for candidates with relevant work experience.
国家统计局周三发布的数据显示，不包括在校学生的16至24岁人群失业率，从8月的18.9%降至9月的18%。
The unemployment rate among people aged 16 to 24, excluding students, fell to 18 per cent in September from 18.9 per cent in August, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.
今年约有1270万高校毕业生进入就业市场，创历史新高，8月青年失业率与去年同期持平，等同于北京2023年修订统计口径剔除在校生以来的最高点。受疲软的国内需求和激烈竞争拖累，中国就业市场上月依然低迷。
With around 12.7 million university graduates having entered the job market this year, a record high, the youth unemployment rate in August matched its level a year earlier, equalling its highest point since Beijing revised its calculation methodology in 2023 to exclude students. Weighed down by weak domestic demand and fierce competition, China’s job market remained sluggish last month.
拥有复旦大学学士学位和香港大学硕士学位（均为顶尖高校）的唐琦（音），在7月寻找广告行业工作前，已完成会计、广告和人力资源领域的实习。她收到的面试回复寥寥无几。
Tang Qi, who holds a bachelor’s degree from Fudan University and a master’s degree from the University of Hong Kong – both top universities – completed internships in accounting, advertising and human resources before looking for a job in advertising in July. She has received few interview callbacks.
“公司似乎想从新员工身上榨取最大价值，指望他们上手即干唐琦，24岁求职者“我原以为在不同行业实习能帮我弄清想做什么工作，但求职时我意识到这成了劣势，因为雇主更倾向于在同一领域完成过多份实习的候选人，”这位24岁求职者说。
Companies seem intent on getting the most out of new hires, expecting them to hit the ground runningTang Qi, 24-year-old jobseeker“I thought interning in different industries would help me figure out what kind of work I wanted to do, but when it comes to job hunting, I’ve realised this is a weakness, as employers prefer candidates who have completed several internships in the same field,” the 24-year-old said.
“公司似乎想从新员工身上榨取最大价值，指望他们上手即干，以免花费时间和金钱从头培训。”唐琦还表示，雇主经常质疑她大学毕业后选择间隔一年的决定。“我担心他们会把这视为我不够坚韧的信号，”她说。
“Companies seem intent on getting the most out of new hires, expecting them to hit the ground running so they can avoid spending time and money training them from scratch.”Tang also said employers frequently questioned her decision to take a gap year after graduating from university. “I was worried they would see it as a sign that I wasn’t resilient enough,” she said.
随着就业这一经济健康关键指标持续承压，人工智能的进步进一步加剧了担忧，北京于6月发布了2026—2030年“就业优先”战略，承诺利用人工智能创造就业岗位、促进创业，并发展包括海洋产业在内的新兴产业，作为就业增长的新引擎。
With employment, a key indicator of economic health, under sustained pressure and advances in artificial intelligence further fuelling concerns, Beijing unveiled an “employment-first” strategy for 2026–2030 in June, pledging to harness AI to create jobs and promote entrepreneurship while developing emerging industries, including the marine sector, as new engines of employment growth.
随着就业市场竞争加剧，部分大学毕业生转向短期职业培训项目，学习人工智能数据标注等实用技能以谋得一份工作，另一些人则从事零工工作，因为传统职业路径正在收窄。
As competition in the job market intensifies, some university graduates are turning to short-term vocational programmes to learn practical skills such as AI data labelling to secure a job, while others are taking up gig work as traditional career paths narrow.
9月份，25至29岁人群（同样不含在校学生）的失业率为7.4%，8月份为7.5%。
In September, the unemployment rate for those aged 25 to 29, also excluding students, stood at 7.4 per cent, compared with 7.5 per cent in August.
中国整体城镇调查失业率9月份下降至5.2%，8月份为5.3%。
China’s overall urban jobless rate declined to 5.2 per cent in September, from 5.3 per cent in August.