China censors youth unemployment data, hindering economic confidence.
Chinese Officials Struggle to Project Confidence Amid Youth Unemployment Concerns
Chinese officials are facing a challenging task of maintaining confidence both domestically and internationally while simultaneously censoring data regarding youth unemployment. The recent clamp down on underwhelming statistics has prompted the Chinese foreign ministry to provide an explanation.
“Some statistical indicators that no longer reflect the reality have been adjusted and removed. We have released more statistical data and promptly added indicators that people need to know.”
Record-breaking Youth Unemployment Figures
In April, China reported record-setting youth unemployment figures, revealing that 20.4% of 16-24-year-olds were unable to find work. These figures have continued to worsen each month, leading the National Bureau of Statistics to halt the release of data. To address internal concerns about the state of the Chinese economy, associates of Chinese General Secretary Xi Jinping have made efforts to reassure the public.
In a statement made back in February but only released recently, Xi emphasized the challenges faced by the country:
“We should be patient and move forward in a steadfast manner. It is quite a challenge just to make sure 1.4 billion people are fed. Then there are problems such as employment, [wealth] distribution, education, healthcare, housing, elderly care, and childcare. They are all not easy to resolve and they all involve an astronomical number of people.”
While Chinese officials have accused Japanese officials of “tampering with data” related to the Fukushima nuclear plant accident, their own approach to economic data has drawn criticism from the United States. As U.S. officials prepare for a major summit with Japan and South Korea, Ambassador Rahm Emanuel praised Japan’s transparency and contrasted it with China’s decision to stop publishing youth unemployment figures.
“[The Japanese officials] have been unbelievably transparent. Their efforts of being forthright with the public [are] a lot different than basically saying we’re not publishing youth unemployment anymore.”
China’s economic data bureau defended its controversial decision to exclude college students from the economic report. NBS spokesman Fu Linghui argued that there are differing views on whether students seeking jobs before graduation should be included in labor force surveys and statistics. He also claimed that the employment situation is generally stable and that the employment rate of graduates is slightly higher than the previous year.
However, Chinese officials acknowledge the need to manage ”social expectations” regarding the struggling economy. Chinese Premier Li Qiang emphasized the importance of fulfilling targets for the year, enhancing endogenous momentum, improving social expectations, and addressing risks and hidden dangers.
This effort aligns with Xi’s earlier call for “patient” understanding of the challenges involved in managing China’s economy:
“We should first consider the size of the population and the large rural-urban development gap. A super big population can provide sufficient manpower and a super big domestic market, but it also brings about a series of difficulties and challenges.”
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