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20250319 Bluetooth production factory

Workers on a production line for Bluetooth headsets in Handan, China, on Feb. 28. Government and private indicators both show that the Chinese job market remains sluggish despite various stimulus measures. © Getty Images

STELLA YIFAN XIE and WATARU SUZUKI

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI -- China's economy has started the year on a relatively positive note, but question marks loom over a crucial dimension: the labor market.

The official surveyed unemployment rate in urban China rose to 5.4% in February, the highest level in two years, even as growth in consumer spending outpaced expectations and investment picked up, according to data released by the National Statistics Bureau earlier this week.

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