China | Degrees and difficulty

Why so many Chinese graduates cannot find work

Our number-crunching suggests that their plight could be much worse than previously thought

A student from Wuhan University holds a flag during their graduation ceremony
Photograph: Ren Yong/Sopa Images/ Zuma/Eyevine

AROUND THIS time each year companies visit university campuses in China looking for potential employees. This year the mood is grim. At a job fair in Wuhan a firm was looking to hire management trainees—but it wanted only elite graduates and offered just 1,000 yuan ($140) per month, claimed a post that went viral on social media. At a fair in Jilin most of the advertised positions required advanced degrees, said a soon-to-be graduate online. “Next time don’t bother inviting us.” Another griped that firms are not hiring. The recruitment process is “a lie”, she wrote.

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This article appeared in the China section of the print edition under the headline “Degrees and difficulty”

From the April 20th 2024 edition

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