(Beijing) – The urban unemployment rate announced by the government has remained at 4.1 percent from the start of 2010 to June 30. Even during the worst of the global financial crisis in 2009, the figure climbed to only 4.3 percent.

When I talk to government officials and scholars, they unintentionally reveal the importance they attach to the statistic. But the fact the figure barely changes is a sign its accuracy can be doubted. Unfortunately, this is true of many statistics released by government agencies in China.