BEIJING – Ma Jiantang, head of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), said the surveyed unemployment rate has shown an increase since last December.

He mentioned that, although the NBS has their figures, it is still unclear when the official index will be released. This is because the government needs to coordinate both the registered unemployment rate - which is calculated by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security - and the survey rate.

"Despite the slight increase, the current unemployment rate that has been based on the survey is still within a 'safe' and controllable range," said Ma.