China jobs: trash inspector with a master’s degree shows how ‘education reform is imminent’
- China’s people are highly educated, so where is the ‘talent dividend’? For many fresh graduates, ‘settling for an opportunity’ is the safer bet now
- China’s unemployment rate among those aged 16-24 continued its monthly rise in June, reaching 21.3 per cent
At 25 years old, Liu Maomao is no longer considered youthful by labour-demographic standards. And that means her unemployment is not reflected in the worsening job market among the 16-24 “youth”.
Instead, her lack of a job – as with other struggling adults in their mid-twenties – is now being reflected in the broader jobless rate.
“Hopefully I’ll finally get a job that takes more than a bachelor’s to do – such as sales – something that involves more thinking and innovation,” she said. “Otherwise, what was the point of me spending an extra three years on studies?”
The competition turned out to be fiercer than I imagined
It has been about a month since Liu finished her postgraduate studies at a university in central China’s Henan province. She has ideal jobs in mind, but she suspects it could take a few months to secure something desirable.
“The competition turned out to be fiercer than I imagined. There are many applicants even for positions that nobody would have cared to consider in the past few years,” said Liu, who has a master’s degree in tourism management and wants to work for a state-owned enterprise.