With the structural changes happening in the Chinese economy, there has been a decrease in white-collar positions available for university students in China. Many students find themselves having to take low-end service industry jobs that do not align with their expertise, such as living in youth hostels, working as store clerks, or delivering takeout, leading them to lose confidence and hope in their futures.
A female hostel owner in mainland China told Epoch Times that most of the residents at her place are young people looking for work. Due to the difficulties in making money, many young people opt to stay in youth hostels where the nightly rates are quite low, costing only tens of yuan per night.
“Some parents make reservations for them. For instance, three university students came out to work part-time during the summer. Their parents booked a room for them for twenty days. Two of them went back home early while one is still here and might stay until the thirtieth, not having found a job for a long time.”
She mentioned that there are dozens of young people staying at her place every day – some work hard, some play games, some sleep, showing a mixed group with varying backgrounds. While some manage to find jobs within a week, others struggle to secure employment even after a month.
“Some come back feeling disheartened, and I encourage them since it’s not easy to find work here either,” the female boss said, pointing out the challenges in various industries where older individuals delay retirement, preventing newcomers from entering the workforce. The market is saturated with postgraduate students, making it harder for fresh blood to find opportunities.
The hostess emphasized that these ordinary youngsters essentially have no promising future.
“To survive, they need to cover daily expenses like accommodation which costs over twenty yuan a day, along with their personal expenses. They need to give me around thirty yuan daily, averaging out to about fifty to sixty yuan in total expenses. They have to ensure their own survival.”
“People often ask if it’s free here, but giving them free accommodation every day is impossible for sure.”
With the reduction in white-collar positions in China, many university students are forced to engage in low-end service industry jobs that lack prospects and security.
Peng Xiaoliang, who recently arrived in the United States in February, stated to Epoch Times that due to the economic downturn, young people in China are facing difficulties in employment. Many undergraduate graduates end up working as delivery drivers, security personnel, or in unrelated fields, some even experiencing long-term unemployment.
“I have a relative who graduated with a computer science degree but couldn’t find a job afterward. Now, he is working as a store clerk in a third-tier city supermarket, just like someone without an education.”
He explained that the clerk’s income is around 3000 to 4000 yuan, barely enough to sustain oneself after deducting expenses for rent and transportation. At 31 or 32 years old, the lack of decent pay and respect at work, plus difficulties in finding a life partner, have left him still unmarried. This phenomenon is common in China.
Zhou Heng, a newly arrived architect in the United States, shared with Epoch Times how his wife, a registered pharmacist, used to work in a pharmaceutical company’s drugstore. The store expanded rapidly a few years back, opening multiple branches within a short distance. However, around the Chinese New Year last year, the business started to decline significantly, resulting in store closures and layoffs.
Zhou noted that while his wife, with her pharmacist certification, had relatively better job prospects, younger pharmacy graduates or interns faced distressing situations. Their wages were low, especially during internships, where some were laid off before officially joining the company or due to decreased sales, leaving them jobless.
He further explained how the recent years witnessed a sharp decline in pharmacy sales and store closures, leading to the unemployment of many young sales staff at the drugstores.
In an era where university students struggle to find work, unexpectedly, delivering takeout has become a field where many highly educated individuals find employment.
Mr. Wang, a film school student from Los Angeles, shared with Epoch Times that he had been striving to earn a living in China after graduation. Aspiring to be a renowned director in the film industry, he ended up unemployed and content with just making a living, seeking a way forward.
“I’ve been laid off from several jobs; first in film, then as a planner at a gaming company. After a few years, I was laid off again and couldn’t secure another job.”
“For survival, I worked as a delivery driver and courier. However, this industry offers no job security and poses numerous risks, making it a perilous profession.”
He highlighted the challenges faced in the delivery sector, mentioning how an accident could occur due to time constraints and the pressure to deliver orders quickly.
Mr. Wang revealed the minimal earnings in delivery services, stating that working tirelessly, one could earn over two hundred yuan a day, whereas working less strenuously might yield just over a hundred yuan. Maintaining electric scooters becomes an added expense, and any delays would lead to deductions from their earnings, leaving little profit and no room for sickness due to medical costs.
Ms. Zhang from Wuhan expressed to Epoch Times her observation of recent university graduates in China facing immediate unemployment, citing her brother as an example.
“My brother has been jobless for two to three years since graduating from university.” She shared that he majored in automotive engineering in a city known for automobiles, yet struggled to find work there. She stressed that if a recent graduate fails to secure employment in China, it becomes even harder to find a job later on.
Ms. Zhang described her brother being unemployed at home, occasionally doing courier jobs to earn money, describing it as physically taxing work. After a month of delivering with deteriorating health, he eventually gave up, finding it difficult to continue.
“Delivery work is physically demanding – going out in all weather conditions, riding electric bikes, leading to safety risks. Following a brief rest, he attempted delivery again, but eventually gave up. He has been contemplating sending out resumes to find a job that aligns with his education, feeling as though his university education has gone to waste.”
“While my brother didn’t graduate from a prestigious university, although not from one of the top-tier institutions, he managed to secure admission to a master’s program in a reputable university. However, even after graduation, he couldn’t find a job, losing sight of the purpose of education and lacking hope for the future.”
“I used to have well-paying jobs in film and gaming industries. Why have I fallen to this state?” Mr. Wang lamented, “I realized many former white-collar workers and university graduates have turned to delivery services. It’s not my personal failure but a failure of the country, the system, and the era.”
“It’s incredibly challenging to find decent white-collar jobs, signaling that the country is beyond saving.”
Mr. Wang also mentioned a childhood friend who, having borrowed money through high-interest online loans, ended up in financial trouble after a job change revealed lower-than-expected wages and grueling working conditions. Unable to repay the loans, the lending companies notified his parents, who had to come out of retirement to help their son cover the debt.
“After reading his recent posts on social media, he sent a message expressing the immense emotional pain he’s currently enduring.”
Peng Xiaoliang argued that young people face difficulties in finding jobs due to a vicious cycle with limited employment opportunities. Additionally, the Communist Party clamps down heavily on freedom of expression—a scenario where speaking out on actual economic conditions, political issues, or corruption is met with censorship or police interrogation.
“The whole of communist China is like a high-pressure cooker, with many people numbing themselves from reality. I believe there’s absolutely no future left in China nowadays,” he concluded.