China jobs: anxious young jobseekers ‘stuck in a rat race’, forced to ‘lie flat’ as unemployment remains a headache for Beijing
- Unemployment rate for 16 to 24 age group remained at an elevated 15.3 per cent in March, while the reading for the 25 to 29 bracket edged up to 7.2 per cent
- Creating enough jobs for its young people remains a daunting challenge for Beijing, with the key private sector struggling to shake off scars of the coronavirus pandemic
After just a few short years following her graduation, 26-year-old Jiang Yujie has submitted her resignation for a second time and is seeking a new career opportunity, although she is fully aware of the risks in China’s slim job market.
“My colleagues and I could sense that our company lacked the budget for hiring new people, and I was already doing the workload of three people, the job burden is the main reason for my first resignation,” Jiang said.
In 2022, Jiang had graduated from a university in Shanghai amid coronavirus-induced citywide lockdowns and moved to the southern port city of Xiamen to work for a renowned sports brand.
But she resigned after just 15 months and returned to Shanghai in January for a cross-border e-commerce job, although that role has lasted just four months, and she will leave in a few weeks.
I’m stuck in a rat race and unable to find peace even if I want to lie flat
“I get anxious without a job, while I feel depressed by the pressure when I have a job,” added Jiang. “I’m stuck in a rat race and unable to find peace even if I want to lie flat”.
“Lying flat”, or tang ping, is a Chinese term used to describe people who work just enough to afford to spend their time on what they enjoy.