China’s youth unemployment hits 17.9% as record numbers graduate

China’s youth jobless rate climbed to 17.9% in July, reports the South China Morning Post. This comes as a record wave of university graduates enters an already crowded labour market, prompting Beijing to step up employment support.

The jobless rate for those aged 16 to 24, excluding students, rose from 14.9% in June–the last of three straight months of contraction–according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics on Wednesday.

The uptick in youth unemployment coincides with another record-breaking graduation season, with an estimated 12.7 million university graduates entering the job market this summer, up about 4% from last year.