Quote from Alex bobby on March 14, 2025, 6:08 AM

This year, China will see a record-breaking 12.22 million university graduates entering the job market. The rising number of graduates has intensified job competition, with internship positions requiring up to five rounds of interviews. Many unsuccessful job seekers are forced to work in factories in roles unrelated to their majors, signalling an oversupply in the labor market. Although the government has introduced policies such as flexible employment and vocational training to promote job opportunities, some job seekers believe these measures fail to meet real-world demands. Analysts point out that the core issue lies in job shortages, and only economic recovery can truly alleviate the pressure.

Milan (a pseudonym) recently returned to her university in Shenzhen for the new semester, but she did not display the usual ease and joy of a student returning from winter break. As a soon-to-be graduate, she spent her entire holiday attending job interviews, deeply feeling the fierce competition in the job market.

Milan recalls going through five rounds of interviews just to secure an internship at a well-known internet gaming company. “Everyone is used to intense competition now,” she said. In China’s gaming industry, five interview rounds are standard for internships, while full-time positions often require eight to ten rounds of assessments. “Every team member must approve before I can pass. There are very few job openings, and many people are applying—thousands of candidates competing for just two positions—so the selection process has become extremely strict,” she explained.

The "Toughest Job Market" Returns

Milan’s job search struggles are just one example among millions of fresh graduates. On March 9, at a press conference on livelihood issues during the National People's Congress, China’s Minister of Human Resources and Social Security, Wang Xiaoping, announced that the number of college graduates this year has reached 12.22 million—an increase of 430,000 compared to 2024—setting a new record. The total employment pressure remains high, and structural contradictions are becoming more prominent.

Milan told Voice of America, “Degrees are becoming devalued. As an undergraduate, I am competing with many master’s graduates, including those who studied abroad. Additionally, companies are impatient with training new employees; they expect you to be immediately ready and proficient in highly specialised fields. This significantly narrows the job market.”

For university graduates, internship experience has become a crucial asset in job hunting. Milan started seeking internships in the finance and gaming industries as early as her freshman year, accumulating experience in five well-known companies. She believes summer internships are even more critical than fall or spring recruitment. The strategy is to submit resumes in the second semester of junior year, start an internship in June, and use the three-month internship as a stepping stone to secure a full-time offer post-graduation.

However, not every graduate is fortunate enough to get interview opportunities like Milan. Wu, a soon-to-be graduate from a university in Chongqing, majored in architecture but struggled to find a job. He was ultimately sent by his school to work in a factory through a university-enterprise partnership. The factory operates in rotating day and night shifts, pays less than 4,000 RMB per month, and Wu even claims that “the school takes a kickback.”

Facing the grim job market, Wu expressed his frustration: “Finding a job is extremely difficult. I’ve tried many positions, but they either don’t need people or my degree isn’t enough.” He added that even though the job is unrelated to his major, he has no choice but to work in the factory. He also noted that half of last year’s graduates are still unemployed.

Declining Employment Rates, Policies Struggling to Address Reality

According to a report by Zhaopin Recruitment in May 2024, the employment rate of Chinese university graduates dropped from 57.6% in 2023 to 55.5% in 2024. Meanwhile, 19.1% of graduates are delaying job searches (“slow employment”), and 13.7% are pursuing freelance work—both figures showing slight increases from the previous year.

Chinese Premier Li Qiang stated in the government work report that the government will expand employment and entrepreneurship channels for college graduates, strengthen labor rights protections for flexible employment and emerging job sectors, and implement plans to create job opportunities in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), focusing on industries like advanced manufacturing and major infrastructure projects. The government also aims to expand grassroots employment programs, such as the “Three Supports and One Assistance” initiative (education, agriculture, healthcare, and rural revitalisation), as well as the Western Development Program, and introduce employment training camps.

Despite these policy efforts, the topic “12.22 Million College Graduates” quickly became the second most trending topic on Weibo, amassing over 35 million views. Zhejiang-based blogger "Crocodile Thirteen" likened this graduate population to the total combined population of Hangzhou, Suzhou, and Zhengzhou, emphasising that the already crowded job market has now become even more difficult to navigate.

Beijing-based blogger “Academic Excellence Section Chief” wrote that university students cannot just wait for government support—they should take any available job first and transition later. He also suggested that universities introduce more corporate collaborations to help graduates adapt to the increasing demand for cost-effective and experienced employees.

However, some analysts argue that the real issue is the lack of job opportunities. Beijing blogger "Geng Xiangshun" stated, “The only way to solve this problem is to grow the economy, increase job openings, and provide young people with more career choices. The government must also invest in vocational education, improve labor rights in service industries and blue-collar jobs, and raise income levels.”

Experts: Job Shortages Remain the Root Cause

On March 11, China Youth Daily reported that the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program plans to recruit over 30,000 university graduates in 2024 to work in education, agriculture, healthcare, and rural development. Meanwhile, the South China Morning Post highlighted the gig economy and vocational training as China’s two key strategies for addressing employment challenges this year.

However, these policies have had limited real-world impact. Wu from Chongqing said he has yet to receive any assistance from employment support programs. Frustrated, he remarked, “All these conferences and policies make no difference. So many university graduates are becoming casualties of the times.”

Milan in Shenzhen believes that university graduates fall into two categories. One group competes for prestigious, high-paying jobs and feels that government employment policies do not address their needs—they would prefer more internship opportunities or subsidies for overseas work placements. The other group consists of those who prefer to work in their hometowns, but the high eligibility requirements for government subsidies make them difficult to access. Additionally, programs like “Three Supports and One Assistance” and the Western Development Program are seen as unappealing due to their harsh working conditions.

She also pointed out that the government’s push for “flexible employment,” such as gig work and handicraft sales, may provide temporary relief but lacks long-term job security, including benefits like social insurance and housing funds.

"Graduation Means Unemployment"—A Reality That Calls for Economic Recovery

With the number of graduates increasing each year, employment policies alone cannot resolve the urgent crisis. Fang Congyan, an assistant research fellow at the Institute for Chinese Communist Party Political-Military and Operational Concepts at the Taipei-based Institute for National Defense and Security Research, analysed that young Chinese are facing an extremely challenging job market, with the core issue being the lack of job openings.

Fang told Voice of America, “The phrase ‘graduation means unemployment’ is now a very accurate description of China’s job market for fresh graduates. The government is desperately trying to lower the unemployment rate, but these measures don’t address the root problem—jobs need to be created, the economy needs to grow, private businesses need to recover, and foreign companies need to return.”

Fang bluntly stated that policies like flexible employment, the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program, and the gig economy have been promoted for years without meaningful results. Repeating the same strategies this year is unlikely to yield better outcomes. She further noted that the government is pressuring companies to “squeeze out” more job opportunities, leading to an increase in internships, four-day workweeks, and pay cuts—measures that may stabilise employment statistics but do not provide real full-time jobs.

She stressed that unless the overall economy improves, with a revival of private enterprises and foreign investments, China’s job market will remain bleak. Flexible employment is merely disguised gig work with no long-term prospects. Moreover, pushing highly educated graduates into rural or western regions mismatches talent with opportunities, wasting valuable human resources.