Recently, in Hangzhou, a university graduate was fired from his security guard position after just one day of work. His daily wage of 180 yuan (Chinese currency) was also withheld. Feeling outraged, he loudly expressed his unfair treatment on a subway carriage, vehemently stating, “Even if I only worked for a day, I will still fight to get my money back!” The video was shared online and received resonance from 500,000 netizens.
The video shows a young man in a white shirt on the Hangzhou subway, addressing fellow passengers, “I have been fired. I only worked for one day. Can you guess my profession? I am a security guard. I sat in a security company in Yuxi for a day, and the supervisor offered me 180 yuan a day.”
He mentioned that the company did not sign a labor contract with him. According to Hangzhou’s minimum wage standards, the part-time hourly rate is 24 yuan, amounting to at least 192 yuan for an 8-hour day, yet the company only paid him 180 yuan and withheld his wages.
Emotionally charged, he walked back and forth on the subway while saying, “Whether you are a security guard, a food delivery person, a respectable individual, an ordinary worker, a white-collar worker, or part of the 996 work culture, everyone deserves to receive their rightful share.”
The young man’s confession resonated with many, and other passengers empathized with him. Throughout the video, no one mocked him, and some passengers even hugged him and offered words of encouragement when he exited the train.
According to online reports from Xin Hunan, the young man is named Xiao Ge and hails from Hubei. Four years ago, he came to Hangzhou to study computer science at a university. Having just graduated this year at the age of 22, he has worked as a deliveryman, a waiter, and even tried working two part-time jobs in a single day to cover his education and living expenses.
The video of Xiao Ge voicing his grievances on the subway quickly spread on platforms like Weibo and Douyin, garnering responses from 500,000 netizens.
Netizens expressed sentiments like, “The unemployed man has spoken out the helplessness and bitterness of us adults.” Some shared personal experiences, such as, “Last year, my son had over 1,000 yuan deducted from his hard-earned money for overtime until 10 p.m.” Others mentioned instances like not being paid for work, internship without receiving salary, and questioned the existence of labor unions in China.
Furthermore, some comments critiqued the pressures faced post-graduation, with remarks like, “His school called him and asked to delete the ‘subway speech’ video, fearing it might affect university admissions. It’s tough – if you have to work as a security guard, why attend university for a bachelor’s degree?” There were also reflections on the challenging survival environment of young adults.
In recent years, the phenomenon of “graduation equals unemployment” has become a harsh reality that many graduates have to confront. Data shows that as of March 2025, the unemployment rate for fresh graduates has risen to 5.8%.
Amid China’s continued economic downturn and restructuring of the industrial landscape, opportunities for traditional white-collar jobs are decreasing. Highly educated individuals are rapidly shifting to lower-tier job opportunities, with many postgraduates opting for delivery services, customer support, live streaming, or even street vending as part of the “flexible employment” sector to seek livelihood opportunities.