In recent days, two job recruitment announcements in mainland China have sparked heated discussions among the public. The Development and Reform Commission of Hainan Haikou District under the Communist Party of China issued a recruitment advertisement offering a monthly salary of only 3000 yuan for postgraduates and 2700 yuan for undergraduates. Meanwhile, at the same time, the retail giant Pang Donglai in Xinxiang, Henan Province, is recruiting security guards and janitors with a salary that can be “nearly 9000 yuan” per month. The phenomenon of the “inversion of salary between high education and physical labor” in mainland China has raised doubts.
On August 11, the Development and Reform Commission of Longhua District, Haikou City, Hainan Province issued a recruitment notice for one temporary position, offering a monthly salary of 2700 yuan for undergraduates and 3000 yuan for postgraduates (including personal contributions to social insurance and housing fund). The news immediately drew attention. The recruiters responded that the salary was set according to the temporary employment system, with a fixed wage that does not increase, but includes social insurance and housing fund contributions, as well as bonuses based on performance, and passing an exam is required for permanent employment.
Many young people have expressed disappointment. Peng Xin (pseudonym), a postgraduate student from Zhengzhou, told a reporter from Da Ji Yuan on August 19, “3000 yuan is definitely not enough. Even though it includes social insurance and housing fund contributions, after deducting rent, meals, and pocket money, there is almost nothing left to save. My family is in Zhengzhou, so if I work in Haikou, I would definitely be losing money.”
He added that even with a monthly salary of 3000 yuan, it is difficult to make ends meet locally: “Just over half of the salary would go towards rent, leaving no disposable income, where would the money come from to date someone?”
Many netizens have questioned the strict linkage between salary and education level by the authorities. Some comments suggest that wages should be more related to work experience rather than educational background. A netizen commented, “What educational background do the leaders have? Can they make a PowerPoint presentation or use Excel?” Another netizen wrote, “Many people now think that studying is useless. Spending hundreds of thousands to get a postgraduate degree, with a monthly salary of 3000 yuan, how many years would it take to break even?”
Meanwhile, on August 18, the Pang Donglai Trading Group in Xinxiang, Henan Province announced the recruitment of 900 people for a new store, requiring applicants for security guard and janitor positions to be under 25 years old and have at least a bachelor’s degree. After the recruitment notice was issued, the phone lines were inundated with inquiries. According to a report by the First Financial, the company’s staff stated that the basic salary plus social insurance amounts to around 7000 yuan, with subsidies bringing it close to 9000 yuan, significantly higher than the industry average.
Applicants generally consider such salary packages to be highly attractive for young graduates. Some remarked, “Being treated sincerely by a company like this is more desirable than focusing solely on education; respect and salary should go hand in hand.” A netizen expressed, “Hiring security guards and janitors, requiring a bachelor’s degree under 25, is this reasonable?” Another cynically commented, “After studying for so many years and obtaining a bachelor’s degree, is it just for becoming a security guard or janitor?”
Professor Liu Ping (pseudonym), a retired professor from Tsinghua University in Beijing, told Da Ji Yuan that with the downsizing of large enterprises and tech companies, whether one has a bachelor’s, postgraduate, or even a doctoral degree, once they leave the campus, they lose their original advantages. The era when “higher education equals higher returns” has ended. She said, “Since the outbreak of the pandemic, many companies have closed down, leaving positions that do not require specific educational backgrounds or even strong physical labor. In mainland China, the premium on education is rapidly diminishing. Many young people are unwilling to be constrained by the system, and many around me choose to go abroad for development.”
Regarding the online mockery of “postgraduate salaries being lower than food delivery workers,” Liu Ping believes that the Hainan recruitment case has caused the public to question the “value of higher education,” and Pang Donglai is seen as a “market expression of valuing talents,” highlighting the strong dissatisfaction among the public with the phenomenon of the “inversion of salary between high education and physical labor.”
She concluded by stating that such low-paying positions inherently involve political considerations. Local authorities need to demonstrate “providing employment opportunities,” but in reality, they are creating low-quality jobs. “This not only wastes educational resources but also could lead to social discontent among young people.”
According to the latest official unemployment rate data released by the Communist Party of China, in July 2025, the rate rose to 5.2%, higher than the 5% in June and surpassing the market’s expectation of 5.1%. This is the highest level since March. The unemployment rate among locally registered labor force reached 5.3%, and the unemployment rate for migrant workers is 5.1%. Among migrant workers, those with agricultural hukou have an unemployment rate of 4.9%. In 31 major cities, the urban survey unemployment rate is 5.2%, an increase of 0.2 percentage points from June.