The official statistics agency of the Communist Party of China recently claimed that the youth unemployment rate in October was the lowest since July this year, but young people are still struggling. How bad is the Chinese economy? Young people are feeling it firsthand. Several interviewees shared their current life situations with Epoch Times.
In Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, Feng Ming (pseudonym), a 29-year-old youth who does temporary day labor, told reporters, “I used to sleep in the park, but now we’re not allowed to. Now I sleep at the entrance of the 2nd floor of the train station, where it’s possible to sleep. Sleeping in the park wouldn’t be good because people are doing morning exercises and running there; it’s not good for them to have someone sleeping there.”
“There are quite a few people sleeping at the train station, it’s everywhere. They are all workers who can’t find jobs and don’t have money to rent a place, so they can only sleep outside to save money,” he said. Feng Ming mentioned that it’s cold outside in winter, but everyone has bought blankets to endure it.
He has been sleeping at the train station for several years now and finds it difficult to find work. Occasionally, he does temporary day labor, but now even that is hard to come by because there are too many people competing and the wages are low.
Previously, he lost over 4 million yuan in a business venture and remains unmarried. “It’s been over ten years since I last visited home, and we haven’t kept in touch. As long as I’m full, my family won’t go hungry, so it doesn’t matter,” he said.
Mr. Yang, a sales representative in Suzhou, Jiangsu, told reporters that he works during the day and does part-time chauffeur work at night. “It’s too hard to earn money now, we can hardly make any. Even chauffeuring is tough these days. From 7 pm to 11 pm, I only earn about 40-50 yuan, showing how bad the situation is.”
He mentioned that the chauffeuring industry is overcrowded, “There are more people chauffeuring than drinking. The economy is bad. I know teachers, doctors, and chefs who work during the day as usual but come out at night to earn money for a living. It’s too hard!”
Yang pointed out that the decrease in people drinking reflects the economic downturn, where everyone is short on money and isn’t in the mood to go out for meals. “I don’t even know where everyone has gone. I know someone who runs a fried rice stall; business isn’t doing well. There are fewer drinkers and fewer people eating fried rice. Where have all the people gone? Many people are saying business is bad.”
He concluded by saying, “Let’s just try our best to survive, to soldier on.”
A young man named Xiao Gang (pseudonym) in Guangxi, nearing 30 years old, told reporters that many people currently feel hopeless about the future. “My friend is constantly worrying about his future. In 2019, people were optimistic; they weren’t afraid of unemployment or not finding a job, but now things have changed. My friend is extremely anxious, as are his colleagues at work; they fear being optimized, being unemployed, so they work tirelessly.”
He mentioned that his friend doesn’t rest on weekends, although the company doesn’t mandate overtime. However, since the business is doing well, everyone voluntarily works overtime. His friend is exhausted from being busy, and so are his coworkers. Some people work until the early hours of the morning, nearly half a year without rest. The reason for this hard work is the fear of unemployment and losing a good job.
Xiao Gang stated that many of his friends from school are struggling to find work, and simply having a job now is already quite challenging. Everyone is working hard, not wanting to be replaced.
The Communist Party of China’s statistics agency recently stated that the youth unemployment rate in October this year was 17.3%, slightly lower than the previous month’s 17.7%, the lowest since July this year. However, the official unemployment data in China is often considered inaccurate, with widespread complaints from the public.
Chen, a recent graduate in mechanical and electronic engineering from Guangdong, expressed, “It’s extremely difficult for graduates to find jobs now. Many companies require experience but won’t give you a chance. The competition is intense, and there are too many people vying for positions, making it really tough to secure a decent job.”
Ping (pseudonym), a recent university graduate from Hunan who studied in Changsha and is now job hunting as a programmer in Shenzhen, noted that job searching is not going well. “Many companies are laying off employees, let alone hiring new ones. I’ve been job hunting for over a month. It’s the same situation nationwide.”
She explained that people typically plan their job searches during their junior year in college, aiming for internship positions that can convert into full-time roles during their senior year. Ping started working before receiving her diploma, from May to October 31, and then resigned.
“After quitting, I didn’t dare go home or tell my parents; they wouldn’t understand, which would only add to my worries. I kept lying to them, saying I was still working.”
Ping noted that there are indeed successful companies like those working on AI, but getting into these top companies is challenging, as most prefer hiring employees with experience from established firms.
“I am still sending out resumes, but most are not suitable and have been politely rejected because I lack experience. I’ve sent out countless resumes, yet I’m already feeling anxious about being unemployed; now just the thought of work makes me nauseous.”
She openly admitted to having no confidence in her future. “I don’t have unemployment benefits now; you need to pay in for a year to be eligible. The government isn’t offering much help.”
Since 2022, the number of university graduates has been surpassing ten million annually. In 2022, there were 10.76 million graduates, an increase of 1.67 million compared to the previous year; in 2023, 11.58 million graduates, an increase of 820,000; in 2024, 11.79 million graduates, an increase of 210,000; and in 2025, there were 12.22 million university graduates, up by 430,000.
On November 20 this year, official Chinese media stated that the number of graduates in the 2026 academic year is expected to hit another record high at 12.7 million, an increase of 480,000 compared to the previous year.
A doctoral student from Tsinghua University Law School and well-known Weibo influencer “Dr. CraneTHU” expressed concerns over the increasing number of graduates, “The pressure on these students is just too much; even I am afraid…”