China’s Gen Z OK to wait for wealth with record graduates to fight for jobs, US youth less patient

A record high 10.76 million graduates are set to enter the job market in China this year, but the number of openings has fallen amid high unemployment in 16- 24 age group

China Generation Z, those born from around 1995 to 2009, are leaning towards a different route than their US counterparts who still crave the American dream

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Many of China’s Gen Z-ers are seeking a work-life balance that does not force them to give up on their dreams. Illustration: Brian Wang

Ralph Jenningsin San FranciscoandHe Huifeng

Published: 7:00am, 26 May 2022Updated: 10:40am, 26 May 2022

Ahead of what is set to be the most difficult summer to find a job in China – amid an economic slowdown and with record number of young workers entering the market and fighting for fewer jobs – the work-life balance scales appear to be shifting for the nation’s latest crop of Gen Z graduates.

It is an ongoing sea change in China, which somewhat counters Xi Jinping’s “Chinese dream” ideology, with the social trend of lying flat in some cases replacing working long hours in the pursuit of money and all the trimmings that hard work can offer.

“There are about 100 graduates from my college this year, but only 10 are planning to get a job right after graduation,” said 22-year-old Sophia Xie, who will complete her studies at a top university in Shenzhen this summer.

“The others are planning to study for a master’s degree abroad or at home, or preparing for the civil service examination, or even just staying at home until they find a job to their liking.

“Many of my peers choose to be voluntarily unemployed, especially in first- and second-tier cities.”

We call ourselves the generation with a low desire for marriage, childbirth and high incomes

Sophia Xie

Xie is a member of that Generation Z, those born from around 1995 to 2009, and will join around what is expected to be a record 10.76 million graduates entering the job market in China this year.

But according to online recruitment web platform Zhaopin, the number of openings targeting graduates fell by 4.5 per cent in the first quarter of 2022 compared with the same period last year.