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China's jobless rate in the first half of this year may exceed an expected 4.5 percent, Xinhua news agency said, citing a government research unit.
Higher unemployment came after the outbreak of SARS closed or slowed some businesses, said Fan Jianping, deputy head of the State Information Center. China's unemployment rate stood at 4.1 percent at the end of March. The official figures don't take into account migrant workers or workers who may remain nominally on company payrolls. China's economic growth in the first six months will be up to 8.5 percent, the report said.
(Shanghai Daily July 7, 2003)
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