China’s economy slowed rapidly in the third quarter under the stress of a property slump and electricity shortages. Beyond the headline numbers though, the dataset had a few other interesting details: a surprise decline in the unemployment rate to the lowest level in almost three years; a drop in property sentiment well before the current crunch in the industry; and a retail sales rebound that diverged across different categories. Here’s a closer look at the underlying details from China’s third-quarter gross domestic product data: Increasing Jobs Employment improved in the economy despite the slowdown in the third quarter, with the jobless rate dropping to 4.9% from 5.1% in the previous two months, its lowest level since December 2018 and well under the full-year target of 5.5%. The decline was notable among young people, who have generally struggled to find work in recent years. The jobless rate for those aged […]