China Alters Methodology, Lowers Official Youth Unemployment Rate to 14.9% After Hitting Decade High

• China stopped releasing youth unemployment figures last year when the rate hit a record high of 21.3% in June • The government claimed the data collection needed to be "optimized" before resuming publication • New calculations exclude students, lowering the reported December youth jobless rate to 14.9% • China says the new methodology provides more accurate figures • The real rate of youth unemployment has been inconvenient for Beijing's claims of economic recovery