Update: China's job market remains stable in July

BEIJING, Aug. 15 (Xinhua) -- China's job market remained generally stable in July, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate standing at 5.2 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from the previous month, according to official data released on Friday.

In the first seven months of this year, the surveyed urban unemployment rate was 5.2 percent on average, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

"Influenced by factors including the graduation season, China's surveyed urban unemployment rate saw a seasonal increase," Fu Linghui, NBS spokesperson, told a press conference.

Employment among key groups remained generally stable. In July, the unemployment rate for rural migrant workers stood at 4.9 percent, below the national average urban unemployment rate, Fu added.

China has set a target for a surveyed urban unemployment rate of around 5.5 percent in 2025 and aims to create over 12 million new urban jobs within the year. ■