Image source: China Visual

BEIJING, July 18 -- (TMTPOST) -- Shanghai reported a jobless rate of 12.5% in the second quarter, making it the only province-level administrative region with a double-digit unemployment rate, according to the NBS.

In accordance with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang’s requirement that statistics shall be released by province in late May, the NBS announced the breakdown of GDP, employment and fiscal revenue data accordingly.

China’s overall unemployment rate in the second quarter was 5.8% while the figure in the first half was 5.7%. However, the numbers varied significantly from province to province, with lockdowns as the decisive factor.

Shanghai was hit the most by the pandemic in the second quarter as the financial, manufacturing and shipping hub was locked down from late March through late May. The megacity recorded a 12.5 percent jobless rate for the second quarter and 8.9 percent for the first six months while the entire country registered 6.7 percent for the second quarter and 3.2 percent for the first half. After the lockdown was nominally lift in Shanghai on June 1, the unemployment in June fell to 7.0% but it was still far above the national average of 1.5%.

Jilin, the second worst hit in China, reported unemployment rates of 7.6 percent and 7.1 percent for the second quarter and the first half respectively. However, with the end of the lockdown in the northeastern province, the unemployment rate was still as high as 6.8 percent, indicating a slow economic rebound.

Liaoning, Inner Mongolia, Hebei, Tianjin, Henan and Shanxi reported a jobless rate higher than the national average, as they were also hit badly by the pandemic.

By contrast, Tibet and Xinjiang in west China registered jobless rates lower than the national average thanks to very few new cases in the two regions. Of coastal provinces, Guangdong and Zhejiang reported jobless rates similar to the national average while Jingsu reported a jobless rate worse than the nationl average due to its geographical proximity and close economic links to Shanghai.