Why Are Young People in China Unable to Find Jobs? "COVID-19 Related Cancellations Are the Problem"

Effectively Obtaining Degrees Online
Judged to Lack Internship Experience and Social Skills

China's youth unemployment rate has once again reached an all-time high, becoming a social issue that hinders medium- to long-term economic growth. However, in the job market, there is a noticeable reluctance to hire these generations due to their inability to engage in face-to-face activities because of COVID-19 and a lack of teamwork skills.

On the 16th, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported on the recent sluggish employment among Chinese youth, stating that "employers are waiting for the next graduating class because the current graduates are 'blank slates' who earned their degrees through online remote classes and have no internship experience."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The previous day, the National Bureau of Statistics announced that this year, China's youth (aged 16-24) unemployment rate reached 20.8%. This surpasses the previous record high of 20.4% set last month. According to the bureau, the total youth population is about 96 million, of which more than 26 million have found jobs, and excluding the non-labor population, 6 million remain unemployed and are still seeking work.

SCMP explained, "Although China's zero-COVID policy, which involved city-wide lockdowns for three years during the pandemic, was suddenly lifted in December last year, its effects continue to be felt. Most job seekers spent nearly their entire university years without face-to-face learning or internships, and they are struggling to prove their actual job competencies to employers."

A recruitment officer at a foreign company based in Shanghai told SCMP, "Recent job seekers basically earned their degrees online," adding, "From a recruiter's perspective, this is not attractive." He continued, "There were few social activities and limited face-to-face opportunities to develop teamwork and social skills," and said, "Employers are waiting for the next graduating class."

He also noted, "Most job postings are for experienced positions rather than new hires," explaining, "In the current difficult business environment, hiring young graduates who show high turnover rates and training them to a level where they create value for the company requires considerable resources and time."

Some believe that the actual unemployment rate in China is higher than the statistics indicate. China counts anyone who works at least one hour per week as employed according to the International Labour Organization (ILO) definition. To supplement this, South Korea calculates and announces a 'perceived unemployment rate' by adding workers who work less than 36 hours per week and want additional employment to the official unemployment figures, but China does not separately compile such statistics.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.