China jobless figures set to soar

The Chinese Government is reported to have agreed to implement nationally a new definition of unemployment that could see the official jobless rate soar.

Under the new criteria, already used in the capital, Beijing, and the southern city of Guangzhou, the China Daily newspaper says that people on very low incomes - less than the local government living allowance - will be counted as unemployed.

In March, China's officially reported jobless rate was just over 4%, with 7.75 million people out of work.

But analysts say the real figure is much, much higher, as the statistics only cover the registered unemployed in urban areas - not the millions of workers laid off from state firms on meagre benefits, migrant workers, and the rural population.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service