China’s Youth Grapple with Unprecedented Unemployment Crisis
In the midst of China’s worst employment crisis in history, a disheartening trend has emerged among college students – the rise of “death graduation photos” that reflect their pessimism about their future prospects. These eerie images, shared through Chinese social network services (SNS), depict graduates wearing graduation gowns, their faces falling to the floor, as they hang like lifeless bodies from stair rails.
Famous universities such as Chongqing University, Shandong Normal University, and Hunan University have continued to certify these ‘death graduation photos.’ Accompanying these haunting images are captions that explain the graduates’ despair – having endured a “zero corona” throughout their years of education, they now face the harsh reality of a “zero job.”
The situation for Chinese youth is dire, with the country’s unemployment rate among individuals aged 16 to 24 skyrocketing to a record high of 20.8% last month. Adding to the distress, an unprecedented 11.58 million college students are expected to enter the job market this summer, along with 1 million “haigui” – young individuals who have returned from studying abroad – intensifying the competition for employment opportunities.
China’s stringent “zero corona” policy over the past three years, coupled with reduced hiring by companies, has further exacerbated the challenge for jobseekers, widening the already narrow threshold. As a result, many students find themselves disillusioned and drained after navigating China’s fiercely competitive education system.
Amidst the slow recovery of the Chinese economy following the COVID-19 pandemic, the government is grappling with potential solutions. One such initiative is encouraging young people to “return to the village, enroll, and stand” – a strategy endorsed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in his recent “Letter to College Students.”
The People’s Liberation Army of China has also pledged to increase the intake of new college graduates and high school students by 10% to alleviate the job search crisis. Furthermore, local governments across the country are easing regulations on street vendors, previously restricted due to the pandemic and urban aesthetics decline, in a bid to stimulate the economy.
Meanwhile, a peculiar trend known as “Blind Box” is gaining popularity among Chinese youth, offering them a means to economize. “Leftover blind boxes” are repackaged products or near-expiry or surplus food items sold at reduced prices. In essence, young people are resorting to consuming unsold restaurant items. This trend is particularly prevalent among unemployed individuals and rural migrants who have relocated to urban areas.
The ramifications of China’s unemployment crisis are far-reaching and profoundly unsettling. The graduates’ ghostly depictions mirror their bleak reality, encapsulating the daunting challenges they face as they navigate an uncertain job market.
By Seongwook Kim, Reporter abc123@asiae.co.kr
Behaves like a body in a graduation gown
‘Zero Corona’ → Mirroring ‘No Workplace’
Last month, China’s youth unemployment rate was 20.8%
Among Chinese college students facing the worst employment crisis in history, ‘death graduation pictures’ showing pessimism about their lives are becoming popular.
According to CNN, etc. on the 25th (local time), college graduates are sharing strange graduation photos through Chinese social network services (SNS). He wears a graduation gown, his face falls to the floor, and he hangs like a corpse from the stair rail.
Chinese college student drew ‘death graduation photo’. [사진출처=CNN 보도화면 캡처]
In line with the June graduation season, famous universities such as Chongqing University, Shandong Normal University, and Hunan University continued to certify such ‘death graduation photos’. An explanation was attached under the photo, “The graduates who ‘pretended to die’ suffered from ‘zero corona’ throughout their school years, and then faced the reality of ‘zero job’.”
Last month, the unemployment rate for Chinese youth aged 16 to 24 reached a record high of 20.8%. In this situation, it is expected that 11.58 million college students will enter the job market this summer, the highest level ever. In addition, 1 million ‘haigui’ (young people who have returned from studying abroad) are also joining the job competition.
China has implemented a strong ‘zero corona’ policy over the past three years, and companies have significantly reduced hiring. As a result, the threshold becomes even narrower when jobseekers who have not entered the job market are included. This is why the phrase ‘no job’ is used.
“All of this has created a depressing picture for students,” CNN said. “Many students have gone through China’s highly competitive education system to get there, and are now exhausted and discouraged.”
Countermeasures against ‘return to the village, enrolment, and stalls’… The trend of ‘eating leftovers’ among young people
Chinese college student drew ‘death graduation photo’. [사진출처=샤오홍슈 캡처]
Even after the end of the Corona 19 pandemic, the recovery of the Chinese economy has been slow, and the government is also suffering from headaches. In response, the government’s countermeasure is the so-called ‘return to the village, enrollment, and stand’ card. Recently, Chinese President Xi Jinping encouraged young people to go to the countryside in his ‘Letter to College Students’.
In addition, China’s People’s Liberation Army announced that it would increase the number of new college graduates and high school students by 10% compared to the previous year to alleviate the job search crisis. Local governments in China are easing regulations on street vendors, which were previously banned for reasons such as the Corona 19 pandemic and the decline of urban aesthetics, and are promoting an ‘economy of seats’.
On the other hand, among Chinese youth, ‘Blind Box’ is gaining popularity to reduce the cost of living even a little. The ‘leftover blind box’ refers to a product that has been repackaged so that the inside is not visible, or leftover food that is nearing its expiry date or has been left in stock.
In other words, young people eat leftover food that they cannot sell in restaurants. Regarding this, Taiwan’s Central News Agency noted that “Zanban Blind Box’s main customers are young people who have no income because they are not employed and residents who have moved from rural areas to cities.”
Reporter Seongwook Kim abc123@asiae.co.kr
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