In July 2024, as the graduating class of 2024 in China’s universities steps out of campus, the issue of “graduating equals to unemployment” once again draws attention. Concerned about the potential chaos caused by unemployment, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials are making considerable efforts to promote student employment. However, according to insiders from both inside and outside the system, the official employment rate statistics have been heavily manipulated over the years, and recent measures to boost employment also have hidden agendas.
Official data shows that the number of graduates in Chinese higher education institutions reached a record high of 11.79 million in 2024. According to a report on the employment strength of college students in 2024 released by the Zhaopin Recruitment Platform in May, as of mid-April, only 48% of graduates had received informal employment notifications, which is worse than the previous year.
On July 4, Voice of America cited a teacher from a university in Guangzhou, who revealed that the employment rate of graduates from her college was around 45% by the end of June, and she believed the situation was similar for the entire institution.
Recently, reporters from Dajiyuan interviewed several graduates from Wuhan University. Here is an overview of their current situations:
A student majoring in computer science, referred to as A, expressed facing significant pressure to find employment. Most of his classmates have found jobs, but it’s challenging to get into a large corporation. A decided to switch majors and pursue postgraduate studies at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
B graduated last year and aimed to become a civil servant. However, after failing the written test for a certain district’s civil service position last year, B spent tens of thousands to attend professional training classes for civil service examination. This year, B tried for a position at a city library, passed the written test but failed the interview, and now must continue preparing for civil service exams.
C, a male student who just graduated this year, had poor academic performance, spent time playing games, was overweight, over 180 cm tall, and was encouraged by his parents to join the military. He spent thirty thousand yuan participating in a weight-loss camp, achieved significant weight loss down to 150 pounds, but chose not to join the military and spent the summer playing games at home all day.
Based on past experiences, a surge in unemployment inevitably leads to social unrest. Starting from the end of June, the Chinese Ministry of Education has launched a nationwide special supervision of the employment work of the 2024 university graduates, emphasizing that “localities and universities must further elevate their political positions.” Authorities have urged local areas to explore ways to increase employment, and encouraged university graduates to join grassroots organizations, start their own businesses, or enlist in the military.
Under immense political pressure, school leaders and teachers are compelled to assist graduates in finding employment. However, according to an interviewed university teacher speaking to Voice of America, even top professors now must focus on employment, which is a difficult task. Schools inevitably resort to cutting corners when reporting employment figures. The interviewed teacher disclosed that although the school claims to report employment data truthfully, leaders at various levels often allow or tacitly approve adjustments.
“For example, teachers urge graduates to find jobs daily, and some students feel annoyed by the pressure but also empathize with the teachers’ difficulties. Some students log into the Guangdong University employment and entrepreneurship mini-program, write a self-declaration claiming to have found employment. This practice does exist. Especially students preparing for civil service exams or postgraduate studies, write their own declarations or seek assistance from exam coaching institutions, register as freelancers. From a statistical perspective, this counts as employment,” the teacher said.
On July 6, the Beijing Youth Daily reported that the “2024 Summer Beijing Area Graduates Employment Service Month” initiative had been launched, mainly targeting recent graduates who are unemployed, as well as other unemployed college graduates and 16 to 24-year-olds. The plan includes over 130 employment service events, with more than six thousand employing units offering over twenty thousand job positions.
However, insiders reveal that while the authorities appear to be putting a lot of effort into assisting students in finding employment, there may be hidden agendas behind the scenes, which undermine the official claims.
Ms. Li, a former grassroots government propaganda officer from the mainland China who arrived abroad half a year ago, stated on July 5 to Dajiyuan that her work institution was adjacent to the human resources and social security departments, and she often overheard conversations related to employment while eating at the cafeteria. She shared insights into how the government manipulates the employment of university students.
“In this aspect, the government always fabricates statistics. The school and the society regularly organize events such as graduate recruitment fairs and talent markets, collecting numerous resumes from graduates, entering these data into the computer, and storing them in the talent pool as if the government helped connect employers and job seekers successfully, counting it as employment,” she said.
“In reality, neither the recruitment agencies nor the job seekers are aware that the employment rate is calculated this way,” she added.
Li illustrated with her old workplace as an example, explaining how pressure is pushed down from higher authorities. Graduates nowadays are reluctant to take low-tier jobs provided by companies, which do not match their high-end professions, leading to a discrepancy in job availability. She pointed out that the students’ learned professions often do not align with the demands of the job market or the standards required by large corporations.
“For instance, a grassroots company needs someone for cleaning, or a restaurant kitchen requires a vegetable washer. Graduates’ majors are high-end, focusing on areas like human resources, logistics, or computer science, which do not align with job market needs, and they cannot meet the standards required by large companies,” she emphasized.
Li mentioned how critical the fake employment situation had been at least a decade ago.
“At the grassroots level, we refer to it as ‘The Eighth Route Army deceiving the Communist Party.’ Everyone knows what’s going on. Even the inspectors are aware you are deceiving them. Once, a colleague mentioned working overtime to fabricate reports to prepare for inspections, redoing the computer data, and the leaders just glance over at the data, casually inquire about job positions,” she narrated.
“Some people occasionally show up for inspections, possibly hiring actors, asking companies to collaborate, claiming they need someone for a certain position. Once the inspection is done, they let them go after a few months, paying salaries for two months,” she detailed. “The level of faking is excessive, but of course, there are genuine cases of employment as well.”
China’s youth unemployment rate, including the 16 to 24-year-old age group, has steadily risen since last year, reaching a record high of 21.3% in June last year. This figure significantly surpasses similar indicators in major Western countries. In July last year, Beijing University Professor Zhang Dandan calculated that China’s actual youth unemployment rate was as high as 46.5%.
However, the CCP authorities seem reluctant to disclose the real-time and authentic data on university student employment. In mid-August 2023, the National Bureau of Statistics announced the suspension of publishing the youth unemployment rate data. By mid-January 2024, the youth unemployment data was re-released, stating that in December 2023, the unemployment rate for 16 to 24-year-olds was 14.9%, excluding students still in school. On June 19 this year, the bureau released the youth unemployment rate for May, excluding students still in school, at 14.2%.
In addition to encouraging university graduates to seek grassroots employment, the CCP has repeatedly emphasized the need to “create new positions.”
A media person from Hebei, going by the pseudonym Shan, stated on July 6 that the authorities developed a unique position called the “public welfare post.”
Public welfare posts mainly refer to positions provided by government departments or organizations that purchase labor. Some of these posts target special groups facing employment difficulties. Non-graduates cannot apply for these positions as their files are with the schools and cannot sign labor contracts or enroll in social security.
Shan explained that these positions are intended for children from ordinary families who fail to secure employment. They are assigned to public welfare roles by local authorities, receiving one to two thousand yuan per month, the lowest living guarantee, nominally assigned to tasks. These individuals work in various government departments or their subsidiaries and are paid monthly by these units but are not enrolled in social security or given any additional benefits. For instance, after working for several years, if a person wishes to take an exam for civil service positions, they will have priority conditions.
“Last year, I interacted with two students in public welfare positions, earning twenty-five hundred a month, without any additional benefits, provided accommodation and meals at the office canteen,” Shan shared.
The government also offers another option – the “Three Supports and One Assistance” program (which dispatches recent university graduates to serve in teaching, agriculture, medical care, and rural revitalization projects at the grassroots level). They become village officials in poverty-stricken areas. Some children from less privileged families return to their villages to become village officials or work at community councils, earning one to two thousand yuan a month.
Furthermore, there is a program sending university graduates to the western regions for one to three years of voluntary service. Shan mentioned that these three temporary employment forms created by the CCP’s system have become shortcuts for young people aspiring to become officials, known as “grasping gold at the grassroots level,” which is a manifestation of formalistic bureaucracy.
Under the pressure of employment, an increasing number of graduates are choosing further education within China or studying abroad. According to aggregated data from various Chinese media outlets, including Beijing University, Tsinghua University, Fudan University, Southern University of Science and Technology, among others, the enrollment rate for recent university graduates in 2023 surpassed 70%, with 25 out of 30 elite 985 universities having an enrollment rate over 50%, of which 15 exceeded 60%.
Professor Deng Xize from the School of International Relations at Sichuan University recently wrote that the excessive expansion of Chinese universities is a significant cause of social malaise. After expanding enrollment, the job quality available to graduates diminishes, resulting in lower returns. With more university graduates, masters, and doctoral degree holders, newer graduates find it increasingly challenging to secure positions equivalent to what previous graduates could obtain.
Well-known Chinese demographer He Yafu told Voice of America, “To alleviate the difficulties of university graduates in finding employment, it is essential to improve the investment environment, and entrepreneurial environment, additionally, the specializations offered by universities should better align with market demands.”
However, the concerning factor is that since the CCP lifted the epidemic lockdown in January 2023, the Chinese economy remains stagnant, and due to deteriorating international relations, foreign investments are swiftly withdrawing.