Recently, the Chinese National Bureau of Statistics released the “national urban survey unemployment rate” for the first quarter of 2024. The data indicated that the average unemployment rate over the three months was 5.2%, a decrease of 0.3% compared to the previous year. Despite the slight decrease, the statistics did not include the 11.76 million “new university graduates entering the labor market this year.” However, officials from the statistics bureau publicly stated that “China’s overall employment situation is not a problem.”
Since 2023, there has been no clear official announcement regarding the employment rate of college graduates. However, reports from online media revealed that the employment rate for undergraduate students in Shanghai last year was only 24.01%; while slightly higher for postgraduates at 40.66%, it was still less than half. Additionally, the employment rate at “Double First-Class” universities across the country was as low as 15%. This year, despite the unchanged stance of the statistics bureau in mostly overlooking the phenomenon of “graduation leading to unemployment,” they suddenly issued a warning stating that the “youth unemployment rate needs high attention.”
In February of this year, based on official data, some speculated that “the number of unemployed individuals in 2023 may reach nearly 60 million.” Among them, approximately 31.11 million were aged 16-24, and around 30 million were aged 25-59. Whether it was the description of the 31.11 million individuals as possibly “living with their parents in rural areas, live streaming from home, engaged in freelance work, or unemployed and lying flat,” or the reasons cited such as the “slowing economic growth, declining corporate profits,” and the reduction of job opportunities due to “many companies downsizing and closing, decreasing employment positions,” the article made it difficult for the authorities to counter, resulting in its censorship.
The removal of articles directly reflecting the current reality indicates that the Chinese Communist Party is powerless to change the situation. However, the statistics bureau continues to put on a show, attempting to create the illusion under the “high attention” of the Xi government that the “youth unemployment rate” will decrease or even be “cleared to zero.” Simultaneously, despite the mass closure of factories as foreign investment withdraws, they are still deceiving young job seekers without qualifications, stating that “blue-collar workers and skilled workers are in high demand,” and as long as they are “willing,” they can “go to the front line to work.”
This situation highlights the fact that once those who are currently suffering from tough times due to the epidemic’s extreme containment measures are unable to maintain their calm and rationality, the “Blank Paper Revolution” initiated by a university student has rapidly gained support from numerous universities, causing panic among the authorities. Hence, the statistics bureau attempts to appease them, stating that the government “attaches great importance and actively creates favorable conditions for the employment of university students.”
At the same time, leaders of the Ministry of Agriculture in rural areas also stated that they will “continue to carry out actions to prevent the return to poverty for rural laborers” and “ensure that the employment scale of migrant workers stable at over 30 million people.” Such grand promises further expose the Chinese Communist Party’s profound fear of rural residents having no land to cultivate or opportunities for employment. The efforts made by the statistics bureau and the Ministry of Agriculture to “maintain employment” for their masters suggest that the issue of unemployment now affects both urban and rural areas.
Various departments of the central government are currently restless, as demonstrated during the Chinese New Year in Rizhao, Shandong. On New Year’s Day, a village in Rizhao witnessed a case of mass shooting; and on the second day of the new year, the government began a “comprehensive investigation” on individuals related to “visits, investment failures, job losses,” etc. Although the truth remains unclear, the assailant was suspected of retaliatory killings following dismissal or false accusations, highlighting how unemployment plays a significant role in such incidents.
Retaliatory killings, particularly notable this year in mainland China, have extended beyond shootings to deliberate vehicular attacks. According to reports, within 20 days in March, there were seven such malicious incidents, with the events on March 19 in Shenyang, Taizhou, and Beijing causing significant casualties. Some prominent figures interpreted this as a manifestation of “widespread resentment.”
A few days ago, the “Guangzhou Tianhe BMW vehicular attack case” that occurred in January last year was finally sentenced. The appeal of the BMW driver was immediately rejected, and he was executed three days after the sentencing. Isn’t this a case of the Chinese Communist Party using him as a deterrent? The prevalence of incidents in mainland China involving vehicular retaliations against society has reached alarming levels. The question arises: by sentencing dissatisfied individuals to death, can such tragedies be prevented in the future?
Who would want to resort to murder for no reason? Under an unjust system, perpetrators resort to such desperate and harmful means due to adversity and a lack of hope. Presently, with limited job opportunities in various sectors and the reliance on “hereditary” methods to secure secure jobs, the norm has become new university graduates facing unemployment immediately upon graduation. Those who have jobs are faced with layoffs, pay cuts, mortgage and car loan debts, with families waiting for their breadwinners; the Chinese Communist Party’s coercion and suppression have made it increasingly difficult for foreign and private companies to thrive, leaving only a return to poverty for the middle class.
When power remains unchecked, it becomes challenging for the people to lead a good life. The monopoly and privileges of the Chinese Communist Party have suffocated the Chinese living under numerous oppressive policies. Once the right to survival is deprived and hope is shattered, people may resort to any despicable act. By creating injustice, the Chinese Communist Party has accumulated years of resentment, which must now be repaid.
In the depths of losing income, dignity, rights, and hope simultaneously, the manipulative tactics of the Chinese Communist Party with its reward and punishment strategies will gradually lose their effectiveness. The paranoia bred in a hostile environment will drive more Chinese individuals to seek revenge and resort to violence, and what awaits the Chinese Communist Party is an endless cycle of bitterness and consequences.
责任编辑: 莆山