纽约时报中文网 - 中英对照版-中英中国重新发布青年失业率改变统计方式后数字下降

After suspending the public release of youth unemployment rates last year, China started distributing the information again on Wednesday, using a different measurement criteria that lowered the figure significantly.

中国在去年暂停公布青年失业率后于本周三再次开始发布该信息，通过采用不同的统计标准，使得这个数字大幅下降。

China’s National Bureau of Statistics stopped announcing the jobless rate among 16- to 24-year-olds after the figure climbed for six consecutive months to 21.3 percent in June, a record high. The government said when it suspended the numbers for July that the collection of the information needed to be “further improved and optimized.”

去年，16至24岁年龄组的失业率连续六个月攀升，在6月份达到了创纪录的21.3%。那之后，中国国家统计局停止了公布青年失业率。政府在7月份宣布暂停发布数据时表示，该信息的统计方式“需要进一步完善和优化”。

The growing number of unemployed young people had become an inconvenient data point that seemed to rebut Beijing’s assertion that the country’s economy was recovering after the lifting of pandemic restrictions.

对中国政府来说，失业年轻人的数量不断增加已成为一个不方便的数据点，似乎反驳了政府关于解除疫情限制后国内经济正在复苏的说法。

The government agency said the revamped jobless figures now exclude students in school. After adjusting its calculation methods, the bureau said jobless rates among 16- to 24-year-olds stood at 14.9 percent in December.

国家统计局表示，改变方式后的失业数据统计不包含在校学生，按这个方法计算，去年12月份的16至24岁年龄组的失业率是14.9%。

Kang Yi, director of the National Bureau of Statistics, said at a news conference that this methodology produced “a more accurate monitor of youth unemployment” because it separates young people looking for part-time jobs while in school from those looking for full-time jobs after graduation. He noted that graduates need to find work, but the main task of students was “to study, not to work part time.”

国家统计局局长康义在新闻发布会上表示，新方法将寻找兼职工作的在校生与毕业后寻找全职工作的年轻人区分开来，能“更精准监测青年就业失业情况”。他指出，毕业生需要找工作，但“在校生的主要任务是学习，而不是兼职工作”。

He Yafu, an independent demographer based in the southern city of Zhanjiang in Guangdong Province, said he believes the change in measurement helped to lower the main figure, although he thinks just as many young people are jobless.

家住广东湛江的独立人口统计学家何亚夫说，他认为改变统计方法帮助降低了失业率数字，但他认为失业年轻人的数量与以前一样。

In another change, the statistics bureau said it created a new age bracket for measuring unemployment. China said it will now track jobless rates among 25- to 29-year-olds, who had been lumped in with a broader 25- to 59-year-old group. The change was necessary because more young people are going to graduate school before entering the job market, the bureau said, adding that 6.1 percent of 25- to 29-year-olds were unemployed in December.

国家统计局表示，失业率统计的另一个变化是将追踪一个新年龄组的就业情况。中国从现在起将每月发布25至29岁劳动力失业率，这个年龄组以前被归在25至59岁的更大范围人群中。统计局表示，有必要做这个改变，因为越来越多的年轻人在进入就业市场前会去读研究生。统计局发布了去年12月份 25至29岁年龄组的失业率，该数字是6.1%。

Part of the challenge for Chinese policymakers is the growing number of college graduates entering the job market. In 2024, the number of college graduates is expected to rise nearly two percent to a record 11.79 million, according to Xinhua, the state news agency. The number of graduates has quadrupled since 2004.

中国政策制定者面临的部分挑战是，越来越多的大学毕业生正在进入就业市场。据官方通讯社新华社报道，2024年的大学应届毕业生人数预计将增长近2%，达到创纪录的1179万人，是2004年大学应届毕业生人数的四倍多。

It remains hard for many young Chinese to find jobs, because the overall economy is sluggish compared to the rapid growth of the past. At the same time, the government has cracked down on once-vibrant industries such as online education, technology and real estate, where young people had flocked for jobs. As a result, scores of highly-educated young Chinese — who were told from an early age that education would provide them opportunities for a better life — are confronted with the reality that the jobs they want are not available.

许多中国年轻人仍很难找到工作，因为与过去的快速增长相比，目前的整体经济低迷。与此同时，政府打击了曾经充满活力的行业，包括在线教育、高技术和房地产等，这些行业曾为大量年轻人提供就业。结果，许多受过高等教育的中国年轻人面临着一种现实：他们得不到想要的工作，但从小他们就被告知，受教育将为他们提供过上更好生活的机会。

“As for this year’s job market, the pressure is still there,” Mr. Kang conceded. But he pointed to some reasons for optimism, including economic growth that will create more jobs. And he said more people are now leaving the work force this year, mainly through retirement, than are entering it.

“今年的就业形势，总的判断是压力依然存在，”康义承认。但他指出了一些值得乐观的理由，包括经济增长将创造更多的就业机会。他说，今年退出劳动力市场（主要是通过退休）的人数将高于进入劳动力市场的人数。

“They will provide more space for the job seekers,” he said.

“这也为寻找工作的人们提供了更多就业空间，”他说。