BEIJING — China's job market improved slightly in March, with the surveyed unemployment rate in urban areas standing at 5.9 percent, official data showed on April 17.

The figure went down 0.3 percentage points from the previous month, according to the National Bureau of Statistics.

A total of 2.29 million new urban jobs were created in the first quarter of 2020, the NBS said, noting that the employment situation has been generally stable.

The surveyed unemployment rate among the people aged between 25 and 59, the majority of the labor market, stood at 5.4 percent in March, 0.2 percentage points down from the February level.

Meanwhile, the surveyed urban unemployment rate of 31 major cities was 5.7 percent last month, according to the NBS.

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.