BEIJING, April 18 -- China's surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.3 percent in March, down 0.3 percentage points from February, official data showed Tuesday.

The rate among those aged between 25 and 59, the majority of the labor market, stood at 4.3 percent, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed.

The surveyed unemployment rate in 31 major cities came in at 5.5 percent in March, down 0.2 percentage points month on month, according to the data.

In the first quarter of 2023, China's surveyed urban unemployment rate came in at 5.5 percent, dipping 0.1 percentage points from the fourth quarter of 2022, the data showed.

With the recovery of China's economy, the employment demand of enterprises and the vitality of business entities increased, leading to employment improvement, NBS spokesperson Fu Linghui told a press conference.

But still, the unemployment rate among youths aged between 16 and 24 went up 1.5 percentage points, mainly due to job-hunting fresh college graduates entering the labor market this year, Fu said.

He said that as the economy recovers and the demand for jobs expands, the employment of youths will gradually improve.

China's State Council has discussed ways to improve the policies and measures to help stabilize employment, according to a State Council executive meeting last week.

Work should be done to provide better services for key groups such as college graduates and migrant workers. The unemployed and those having difficulties finding a job should be assisted, the meeting said.

The surveyed urban unemployment rate is calculated based on the number of unemployed people who have participated in the employment survey in urban areas, including migrant workers in cities.