China’s urban unemployment rate increased to a high of 6.2 percent in February as roughly 45 million people lost their jobs, mainly because of the coronavirus, in the first two months of 2020. The unemployment rate is expected to fall in the second half of the year as a growing number of enterprises, particularly smaller ones, will resume operations. Employment is a priority for the central government to keep the economy and society stable. Experts cautioned that resumption of work does not mean that operations are at the same capacity as before, as the criteria for work resumption remain stringent. It will be a challenge for the country’s social security and for the vast population working in service sectors such as restaurants, transportation and tourism.
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