Unemployment Spikes for Key Chinese Age Group as AI Use Spreads

An unexpected deterioration in China’s labor market has reached the key demographic of early-career workers, as seasonal pressures amplified spillovers from the war in Iran while wider use of artificial intelligence raises risks for employment.

The latest batch of official statistics this week revealed the jobless rate climbed to 7.7% in March for 25- to 29-year-olds. That’s up from 7.2% a year ago and the highest since the National Bureau of Statistics revamped its employment data more than two years ago and started to treat that age group as a separate category.

The data adds to signs of growing distress ...