In mainland China, programmers were once considered representatives of high-paying professions, attracting numerous “post-90s” individuals with dreams to come to Beijing to seek opportunities. However, with the continuous downturn of the Chinese economy, industry saturation, salary reductions, and job cuts, some programmers are facing economic pressures, being forced to leave Beijing and return to their hometowns or seek livelihoods in other cities.
“Post-90s” individual Gu Kai told Dajiyuan that after graduating, he joined a company in Beijing as a programmer. His monthly salary gradually increased from 30,000 RMB to over 50,000 RMB, combined with his wife’s income, their household income was considered decent.
However, starting from 2025, Gu Kai’s income began to decline, his wife was laid off by the company, and due to the constant struggle to settle down and buy a house in Beijing, the pressure on him, now nearing 35 years old, was unprecedented. He said, “In the past few years, although we benefited from industry bonuses, in Beijing, we have never been able to settle our household registration and own a house. Life in Beijing is now tough. Without a house, a car, and without household registration, it’s all troublesome. Each aspect is a big hurdle, all quite challenging.”
Considering the difficulty in continuing to develop in Beijing in the future, Gu Kai is planning to transition early and leave Beijing to return to his second-tier city hometown in the south to seek new opportunities. “I just want to plan and develop early. If my side business succeeds, even if I get laid off in a couple of years, I won’t feel panicked because there will be someone in the family to rely on. If both of us get laid off, it will be too passive by then.”
Currently, Gu Kai continues to work in the IT industry, while his wife has transitioned to work in self-media, still in the early stages. They have a mortgage and one child. He admits that the future is full of uncertainties.
Gu Kai mentioned that in Beijing, there are many classmates with similar experiences to his. “It’s very common. In Beijing, very few people actually stay.”
Another “post-90s” programmer, Xia Qi, who had been working in Beijing for many years, was laid off by a company in 2025. Helplessly, she chose to return to her hometown in Northeast China to find a new path. She said, “The economy in the Northeast is too poor, and it’s very difficult to find a job. A job that pays 3,000 RMB a month cannot support a family.”
Currently, Xia Qi is helping her parents with farming activities while selling goods online to add some extra income.
She mentioned that she doesn’t plan to further her studies. Pursuing postgraduate studies requires spending several years, and she is concerned that the employment environment may not necessarily improve after graduation. Therefore, she prefers to find a job first to sustain basic living.
“My monthly expenses are only 1,000 RMB right now. I can live like this for 3 years, but life is challenging. So, I still want to find a job to see what opportunities are out there.”
(Interviewees’ names are aliases)