China jobs: unemployed workers ‘battling for offers’ pray for stability over high salary as fairs return
- Job fairs are making a comeback in the latest sign that China is returning to its pre-Covid way of life
- The jobless rate for the 16-24 age group remained at an elevated level of 16.7 per cent in December, while the overall urban surveyed jobless rate stood at 5.5 per cent
02:21
Chinese jobseekers lack confidence, as in-person career fairs return
China’s job fairs are making a comeback after being forced online by the coronavirus for three years, but subdued wages and less abundant offerings in sectors exposed to weakening external demand point to an uneven and guarded economic recovery.
In a country of 1.4 billion people, job fairs are one of the most efficient ways for employers and workers to connect. Although attendees said their long-awaited return is encouraging, some were not brimming with confidence.
The Covid outbreak has hurt many people. There will be more jobseekers battling for offers this year
“I only pray for a stable job, and do not have high salary expectations,” said Liu Liangliang, 24, who was looking for a job in a hotel or property management company at a fair in Beijing on Thursday, one of more than 40 held in the capital in February.
“The Covid outbreak has hurt many people. There will be more jobseekers battling for offers this year.”
A survey of about 50,000 white-collar workers published on Thursday by Zhaopin, one of China’s biggest recruiting firms, showed 47.3 per cent of respondents were worried they may lose their jobs this year, up from 39.8 per cent a year ago.
Around 60 per cent cited the “uncertain economic environment” as the main factor affecting their confidence, up from 48.4 per cent in 2022.
Job confidence of those working in consumer-facing sectors, which are recovering faster from a low base, was higher than in sectors such as manufacturing, affected by weakening external demand, or property, which has only just started to show tentative signs of stabilising, the survey showed.