China Graduated with a degree in Applied Mathematics, Liang Huaxiao could not find a job and had to work as a waiter in a bakery and a beauty salon.
Liang, 25, had spent two years applying for jobs at tech companies in China. She then switched to sales and customer service, but the results were not good. Finally, Liang worked as a maid at a bakery and a beauty salon to earn money.
"Finding a job was really difficult. My mother cried when she found out I was going to do manual labor," Liang said, choking up.
Wang, 23, a programming graduate, earns less than $420 a month as a part-time food delivery worker in Jining city, eastern China.
"The entry requirements of the programming industry are constantly increasing. I couldn't find a position in a big tech company, while small companies don't pay overtime," Wang said.
Students at a job fair in Beijing on April 28. Photo: Chinadaily
China’s youth job market is reportedly in crisis. The impact of Covid-19 has hit students in popular fields such as technology, education, real estate and finance hard. Economists predict that more college graduates like Liang will be unemployed.
In February, a survey in China showed that the unemployment rate for people aged 16 to 24 was 18.1%, the highest since August last year. The figure hit a new record of 20.4% in April, according to Reuters. Meanwhile, 11.6 million college students are graduating this summer, up 820,000 from 2022.
According to SCMP, a recent graduate had to compete with 50 other candidates to win a job at a small company in Beijing. Xu Beibei, an artist at an online game company, said that the team had recruited only four people, but received 200 applications.
Although college students are struggling to find jobs, many industries are still in need of workers. Manufacturing companies are short of engineers and skilled workers, while the current workforce in factories is aging. Ninety-five percent of students in vocational schools such as welding and plumbing surveyed in February said they had no trouble finding work.
Keyu Jin, author of "The New China Playbook," which chronicles the country's economic development, said: "China's education is ahead of its economy, which means there are more degrees than are needed in a manufacturing-based economy."
Because they could not find the jobs they wanted, some students put away their university degrees to return home to start their own businesses.
“Young people no longer believe that a person’s worth comes from studying hard or being successful in their career,” said Han Zhaoxue, 26, a master’s degree holder in public administration who now runs a homestay in the countryside after turning down low-paying offers.
Wang also decided to return to his hometown to study for the civil service exam. Meanwhile, Liang remained unemployed and was seriously considering becoming a street vendor.
“I can't think of any other industry I haven't applied to,” Liang said.
Doan Hung (According to Reuters, SCMP)
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