BEIJING, Aug. 17 -- China's job market has remained generally stable, with the surveyed urban unemployment rate averaging 5.2 percent in the first seven months of 2026, within the annual target, official data showed Monday.

The rate was unchanged from both the first six months of the year and the same period last year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

In July alone, the surveyed urban unemployment rate stood at 5.2 percent, up 0.2 percentage points from June. The NBS attributed the increase to seasonal factors.

China has set a target of keeping the surveyed urban unemployment rate at around 5.5 percent in 2026 and aims to create more than 12 million new urban jobs during the year.

To further boost employment, China released a five-year plan on human resources and social security development in July. Among other targets, the plan aims to help 25 million unemployed urban workers find new jobs and provide employment assistance to 6.5 million people facing difficulties in finding work.