In Chinese employment law, an unemployed worker is a person who is able to work but has been terminated by their employer and now has no job, is looking for a job, and whose file has been transferred to their precinct or town’s labor regulator office. The Unemployment Insurance Administrative Regulations limit this definition to persons who were previously employed.

The definition also excludes retirement age persons who are unable to work, or disabled persons whose disability evaluation shows they are not fit to work. Thus, “unemployed worker” does not include injured or mentally ill people. “Looking for work” is defined to include those who are attempting to, but cannot yet find, suitable work due to reasons beyond their control; the definition excludes people who are not trying to find a job.