As their jobless parents are ‘abandoned by society’, young people in China air grievances, seek help on social media

“I felt really sorry for her. I never expected that my mother would be abandoned by society,” the daughter posted in July.

Her post struck a chord with others, garnering more than 9,600 likes and sparking heated discussion in the comments where people shared similar experiences of how their parents were laid off and struggling to find work.

“I have a feeling that this is what is going to happen to me as well when I’m old,” one comment reads.

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“Aside from bitterness, I feel there’s nothing I can do to help my mother,” Huang told Young Post.

Huang is among hundreds of mainland young people posting online about the challenges of helping their unemployed parents find work.

When searching for “help parents find a job” on Xiaohongshu, hundreds of posts pop up, with many asking for advice or sharing their grievances. This is unusual for a platform typically dominated by young people posting light content about travel, skincare, make-up and food.

Earlier this year, Chinese social media saw the emergence of the “full-time children” trend, which is when adult children stay home and care for their parents in exchange for a salary.

But not all older adults have the savings and financial stability to support their children.

And even as youth in China face high unemployment rates, older workers also have their own problems to confront in a labour market that may no longer value their contributions.

Last year, Huang’s mother lost her job as a private kindergarten teacher at the age of 52. Her supervisor told her that it was because there were many “young bloods” in the school.

As Huang’s father, a construction worker, rarely receives his salary on time and the family has no savings to rely on, the former teacher is actively searching for any job that will accept her.

In the past year, she has worked as a dishwasher for restaurants and a cleaner at hotels. However, these temporary positions were all short-lived.

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The age restrictions and experience requirements for many jobs add extra layers of difficulty for Huang’s mum.

“Generally here, the age requirement is usually below 50 years old, so it becomes more difficult to find a job [for those] below 55 years old. Also, they want someone with experience in large companies,” Huang explained.

After making enough to support herself, the daughter sends money to her parents from time to time, but that is all she can do to help.

“I feel that the societal system is not as fair as everyone claims it to be,” she lamented. “I hope that this society can be more inclusive to both the old and the young.”

Social media is not just a place to vent about this problem – some young people in China are also using it to find work for their parents. While there are specific websites for job searching, social media platforms give users the chance to ask each other directly for advice or recommendations.

Thirty-year-old Zuo Nan lives in Chengdu, a city in Sichuan province. In 2015, her father, who is in a small town, lost his job as a general manager at a car repair factory and has since been unable to find a decent job that matches his previous salary.

“I have been supporting him financially for these past few years. He used to work in a company as a manager for over 10 years and also worked as a safety officer in a construction company,” Zuo shared in a post on Xiaohongshu, seeking help from others.

“I want to find him a simple job, but I don’t know where to look. I’m worried he might get scammed. He is desperate, and it’s heartbreaking to see my once-strong dad collapse like this.”

There are still four years before her 56-year-old father can claim his pension.

Until then, he needs to find work to support himself. Most job positions require computer skills, but he does not know how to use a computer or type, which limits his options for work.

Over the past eight years, Zuo’s father has tried starting his own company and investing in a business with his friends, but these ventures did not last long and have not given him any returns. Since he lives in a small town, opportunities are much more scarce compared with bigger cities.

Now, he is making some money by facilitating construction contracts, but it is not enough to sustain him.

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“A few years back, he could still live with his savings, but these days, he cannot,” Zuo told Young Post.

The daughter has also been posting on social media platforms to inquire about work opportunities, but to little avail. This experience has shown her the challenges that many older workers face as they are left behind by advancements in technology and the economy.

“We need to keep in touch more often with our parents because they cannot keep up with society. They still think society functions as it did back in the old days,” she said.

Yiran Hu, a 21-year-old living in Foshan in Guangdong province, is also helping her 54-year-old father look for work on social media.

Her post on Xiaohongshu reads: “He is tall and healthy, has a good appearance and temperament, and is easy to get along with. He has a strong sense of responsibility and can speak Cantonese and Mandarin fluently.”

Several months ago, Hu’s father quit his job working in a stainless steel factory because of disagreements with his supervisor.

After spending 14 years there, where he only received small increases in pay and few promotions, he is having a hard time finding work.

His daughter has posted the request for work on other social media platforms such as Douyin, China’s version of TikTok, and Kuaishou, Douyin’s competitor, but has received few responses.

She has also tried platforms specifically for job hunting, but most of the positions have an age restriction of under 50 or 45 years old.

In the end, her father does not have much of a choice.

“I’m planning to go to the delivery centre nearby with my father in a few days. They pay daily,” Hu said.

“I feel that it is truly difficult for a person without education or skills to find a job when they become unemployed at a middle age.”