China’s young workers – overqualified and in low-paying jobs

China is now the only country where a high school graduate has a master’s degree in physics; the cleaner is qualified in environmental planning; a delivery driver studied philosophy, and a PhD graduate from the prestigious Tsinghua University ends up working as a police officer.

This is a reality in a struggling economy – and it’s not hard to find others like them.

“My dream job was working in a bank,” says Sun Zhan as he prepares to start his career as a waiter at a hot restaurant in southern Nanjing.

The 25-year-old recently graduated with a master’s degree in economics. He was hoping to “make a lot of money” in a high-paying job but he adds, “I looked for such a job, without good results”.

China churns out millions of university graduates every year but, in some sectors, there are not enough jobs for them.

The economy has been struggling and stagnating in major sectors, including retail and manufacturing.

Youth unemployment has been hitting 20% ​​before the statistics were changed to make things look better. on August 2024 it changed to +18.8%. The most recent figure for November fell to 16.1%.

Many university graduates who find it difficult to find work in the areas they studied, are now working in jobs that are less than they are capable of, which causes them to be criticized by their family and friends.

When Sun Zhan became a waiter, his parents were not happy about it.

“My family’s thoughts worry me a lot. After that, I studied for many years and went to a very good school,” he says.

He says his family is ashamed of his career choice and would prefer to try to become a civil servant or civil servant, but adds, “this is my choice”.

However, he has a secret agenda. He will use his time as a waiter to learn the restaurant business in order to open his own place.

He thinks that after running a successful business, the opponents in his family should change their behavior.

“Jobs are very difficult in China, so I think many young people need to change their expectations,” says Professor Zhang Jun of the City University of Hong Kong.

He said many students are seeking advanced degrees to have better prospects, but the reality of the workplace affects them.

“The work has been very difficult,” says Wu Dan, 29, who is currently studying at a massage clinic in Shanghai.

“For many of my classmates in the master’s class, it is their first time looking for a job and very few have ever found one.”

He never thought that this would be where he would get a degree in economics from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Before that, he worked for a trading company in Shanghai, where he was an agricultural product specialist.

When he returned to the mainland after completing his studies in Hong Kong, he wanted to work for a financial institution and received offers but was not happy with them.

That he did not accept any of them and instead started studying sports medicine was not accepted by his family.

“They thought I had a great job in the past, and my education is very competitive. They didn’t understand why I chose a menial job that required me to do manual labor and pay less.”

He admits that he could not live in Shanghai on his current salary, if not for the fact that his friend owns their house.

At first, he didn’t know anyone who was helping him in his work now, but his mother has been coming after him recently to heal him because of his bad back, greatly reducing the pain he has been experiencing.

Now the one-time finance student says he feels that working life in the financial world is not at all attractive.

He says he has an interest in sports injuries, loves the job and, one day, wants to open his own clinic.

China’s graduates are being forced to change their perception of what could be considered a “good environment,” says Prof Zhang.

In what may be seen as a “warning sign” for young people, “many companies in China, including many technology companies, have laid off a lot of workers”, he adds.

He also said that major economic areas, once the main employers of graduates, are providing poorer conditions, and the best opportunities in these sectors are disappearing.

Even as they plan their future careers, unemployed graduates have been turning to the film and television industry.

Big budget movies need a lot of extras to fill their scenes and, in the popular Chinese town of Hengdian, southwest of Shanghai, there are many young people looking for acting jobs.

“I mostly stand beside the protagonist as eye candy. I look close to the actors but I have no lines,” says Wu Xinghai, who studied electronics, and was playing a security guard in the drama.

The 26-year-old jokes that her good looks have helped her work as an extra.

It is said that people often come to Hengdian and work for several months at a time. He said this is a temporary fix for him, until he finds something permanent. “I don’t make a lot of money but I’m comfortable and relaxed.”

“This is how it is in China, isn’t it? When you graduate, you’re unemployed,” said Li, who did not want to give his first name.

He excelled in film directing and editing and even signed up to work as an extra for a few months.

“I came to look for a job when I was young, when I grow up I will find a permanent job.

But many fear that they will not find a good job and may have to work differently than they thought.

Lack of confidence in China’s economic crisis means that young people are often uncertain about their future.

Wu Dan says that even his friends at work can feel lost.

“They are very confused and feel that the future is uncertain. Those who have jobs are not satisfied with it. They do not know how long they will work. And if they lose their jobs, what will they do? What?”

He says he will “just walk and walk and slowly assess what I want to do”.