Students attending a job fair in Hefei, in eastern China's Anhui province.
PHOTO: AFP
UPDATED Dec 30, 2024,
BEIJING – A record 3.4 million young Chinese flocked to the civil service exam in 2024, lured by the prospect of lifetime job security and perks including subsidised housing as an economic slowdown batters the private sector and youth unemployment remains high.
Applicant numbers, which surged by more than 400,000 from 2023 and have tripled since 2014, reflect the huge demand for stability from disillusioned Gen Z Chinese and the lack of attractive options in the private sector even though local governments are struggling to pay wages due to a fiscal crisis.
Ms Klaire, a master’s student in Beijing, took the notoriously competitive exam in early December, studying for nine hours a day and spending 980 yuan (S$180) on online tutoring.
She cited social prestige and stability as major factors to why she was applying only for government or state-owned enterprise jobs. Ms Klaire has also seen colleagues get laid off during a previous tech internship.
“I only want to pass the exam and not worry about what happens next,” said the 24-year-old, withholding her surname for privacy reasons.
“Despite personally knowing civil servants who haven’t been paid for months, I still applied because I don’t wish to make lots of money.”
If she passes the exam, she will have a further interview as well as political background and physical checks, with the final outcome expected around April.
Layoffs are rare in China’s civil service, earning it the “iron rice bowl” moniker, though individuals can be dismissed for disciplinary violations.
Associate Professor Alfred Wu from the National University of Singapore said: “The current leadership has no intent of reducing the size of public sector workers, who are the backbone of regime stability.”
Most civil service openings have an age limit of 35 and offer subsidised housing and social insurance, a major attraction for graduates disillusioned by the paucity of private sector job opportunities.
Youth unemployment rates, which fell slightly in recent months, remain elevated compared with pre-pandemic figures as China’s economy struggles to recover amid a prolonged property sector crisis and frail consumption.
Many Gen Z Chinese “feel a strong sense of burnout and don’t know what is meaningful” after having their university years defined by the pandemic and China’s economic slowdown, said a Chinese sociology professor on condition of anonymity.
As the present generation of Chinese graduates have not experienced the mass state sector layoffs of the 90s, many have an idealised view of government work, he said, noting an apt summation in a social media meme: “Becoming a civil servant is the endpoint of the universe”.
But rare interviews with ten public sector employees across four Chinese provinces paint a different picture: widespread bonus reductions and pay cuts of up to 30 per cent in 2024 have prompted some to consider resigning, while local government austerity drives have led to sporadic staff cuts.
Some civil servants say they have been unpaid for months. Others survive on as little as 4,000 yuan monthly while supporting families and paying off loans. Many asked for anonymity to avoid retribution.
Despite these obvious woes, high nationwide youth unemployment has fed strong demand for civil service roles, which have surged from 2019’s 14,500 to 39,700 in 2024.
Ms Katherine Lin quit her civil service job in the southern megacity of Shenzhen in July after her 15,000 yuan salary dropped by a quarter, bonuses were scrapped and managers hinted at further downsizing.
“Some departments chose to either cut salaries by 30 per cent or fire people in response to cost-cutting policies,” she said.
At least three Shenzhen district-level bureaux were merged, and nine employees dismissed in 2024, public notices show.
In her housing bureau role, she handled an unprecedented number of migrant worker protests in December 2023, when they normally demand wages before Chinese New Year.
Another civil servant in rural Guangdong province described his salary of 4,000 yuan as “stable poverty” after monthly bonuses of 1,000 yuan stopped in June.
In Shandong, civil servants complained on social media in September about being paid only one month per quarter, part of a policy called “guarantee four (months’ salary), strive for six”.
The State Council and Shenzhen government did not reply to faxed requests for comment.
Downsizing pressure
Beijing has long-faced calls to reform its bloated state sector.
Despite repeated downsizing campaigns, China’s civil service jobs swelled from 6.9 million in 2010 to eight million currently, with at least a further 31 million public employees such as school and hospital workers who have fewer employment protections than civil servants.
Chinese provinces have quietly cut tens of thousands of public sector positions since 2020, mostly through hiring reductions and attrition.
Wage arrears are “systematic and universal across the country, and are impossible to solve substantially in the short term”, said a governance professor at an elite Chinese university on condition of anonymity, adding that this could increase corruption as officials supplement their salaries through tips and bribes, as well as increased administrative fines for citizens.
“The most pressing issue now is social stability,” the professor said. “Therefore, the lesser of two evils will cause the expansion of civil service hiring and the neglect of institutional reform.”
REUTERS
UPDATED Dec 30, 2024,
BEIJING – A record 3.4 million young Chinese flocked to the civil service exam in 2024, lured by the prospect of lifetime job security and perks including subsidised housing as an economic slowdown batters the private sector and youth unemployment remains high.
Applicant numbers, which surged by more than 400,000 from 2023 and have tripled since 2014, reflect the huge demand for stability from disillusioned Gen Z Chinese and the lack of attractive options in the private sector even though local governments are struggling to pay wages due to a fiscal crisis.
Ms Klaire, a master’s student in Beijing, took the notoriously competitive exam in early December, studying for nine hours a day and spending 980 yuan (S$180) on online tutoring.
She cited social prestige and stability as major factors to why she was applying only for government or state-owned enterprise jobs. Ms Klaire has also seen colleagues get laid off during a previous tech internship.
“I only want to pass the exam and not worry about what happens next,” said the 24-year-old, withholding her surname for privacy reasons.
“Despite personally knowing civil servants who haven’t been paid for months, I still applied because I don’t wish to make lots of money.”
If she passes the exam, she will have a further interview as well as political background and physical checks, with the final outcome expected around April.
Layoffs are rare in China’s civil service, earning it the “iron rice bowl” moniker, though individuals can be dismissed for disciplinary violations.
Associate Professor Alfred Wu from the National University of Singapore said: “The current leadership has no intent of reducing the size of public sector workers, who are the backbone of regime stability.”
Most civil service openings have an age limit of 35 and offer subsidised housing and social insurance, a major attraction for graduates disillusioned by the paucity of private sector job opportunities.
Youth unemployment rates, which fell slightly in recent months, remain elevated compared with pre-pandemic figures as China’s economy struggles to recover amid a prolonged property sector crisis and frail consumption.
Many Gen Z Chinese “feel a strong sense of burnout and don’t know what is meaningful” after having their university years defined by the pandemic and China’s economic slowdown, said a Chinese sociology professor on condition of anonymity.
As the present generation of Chinese graduates have not experienced the mass state sector layoffs of the 90s, many have an idealised view of government work, he said, noting an apt summation in a social media meme: “Becoming a civil servant is the endpoint of the universe”.
But rare interviews with ten public sector employees across four Chinese provinces paint a different picture: widespread bonus reductions and pay cuts of up to 30 per cent in 2024 have prompted some to consider resigning, while local government austerity drives have led to sporadic staff cuts.
Some civil servants say they have been unpaid for months. Others survive on as little as 4,000 yuan monthly while supporting families and paying off loans. Many asked for anonymity to avoid retribution.
Despite these obvious woes, high nationwide youth unemployment has fed strong demand for civil service roles, which have surged from 2019’s 14,500 to 39,700 in 2024.
Ms Katherine Lin quit her civil service job in the southern megacity of Shenzhen in July after her 15,000 yuan salary dropped by a quarter, bonuses were scrapped and managers hinted at further downsizing.
“Some departments chose to either cut salaries by 30 per cent or fire people in response to cost-cutting policies,” she said.
At least three Shenzhen district-level bureaux were merged, and nine employees dismissed in 2024, public notices show.
In her housing bureau role, she handled an unprecedented number of migrant worker protests in December 2023, when they normally demand wages before Chinese New Year.
Another civil servant in rural Guangdong province described his salary of 4,000 yuan as “stable poverty” after monthly bonuses of 1,000 yuan stopped in June.
In Shandong, civil servants complained on social media in September about being paid only one month per quarter, part of a policy called “guarantee four (months’ salary), strive for six”.
The State Council and Shenzhen government did not reply to faxed requests for comment.
Downsizing pressure
Beijing has long-faced calls to reform its bloated state sector.
Despite repeated downsizing campaigns, China’s civil service jobs swelled from 6.9 million in 2010 to eight million currently, with at least a further 31 million public employees such as school and hospital workers who have fewer employment protections than civil servants.
Chinese provinces have quietly cut tens of thousands of public sector positions since 2020, mostly through hiring reductions and attrition.
Wage arrears are “systematic and universal across the country, and are impossible to solve substantially in the short term”, said a governance professor at an elite Chinese university on condition of anonymity, adding that this could increase corruption as officials supplement their salaries through tips and bribes, as well as increased administrative fines for citizens.
“The most pressing issue now is social stability,” the professor said. “Therefore, the lesser of two evils will cause the expansion of civil service hiring and the neglect of institutional reform.”
REUTERS
UK
'There aren't enough jobs to go round for everyone'
Sarah-May Buccieri
BBC News
'There aren't enough jobs to go round for everyone'
Sarah-May Buccieri
BBC News
30/12/2024
James Harrison
James Harrison believes the graduate job market is "overly saturated"
Law graduate James Harrison left university with high hopes of landing a role in the sector he trained for.
But reality soon sank in, as James's inbox became littered with no's from legal roles to coffee shop work.
In November seven million people watched James's video on Instagram detailing his rejection from a role as a barista.
"Nine out of 10 people I know didn't enter a role within nine months of graduating," James explained.
During his struggle to find a job, James started posting online with advice and tips about life after university.
"It went a bit crazy," James laughed.
James thought the viral video was slightly controversial and it received a mixed reaction.
"A lot of people said I shouldn't feel entitled to get a job just because I have a degree whilst a lot of other people are said they were in the same position," James said.
The 22-year-old started his law degree at The University of Lincoln in 2020 and graduated in 2023.
"It was extremely hard, I took a year out to focus on applications," he said.
Applying for roles became a daily routine; from applications, tests and video interviews, he became immersed in finding a job.
But he was getting turned down for everything.
'Overly saturated'
James believes the sparkle of degrees has faded a little and they are now "overly saturated".
"Thousands of people are leaving university with great experience and amazing grades.
"There are not enough jobs to go round for everyone."
"I'd gone through three years of a law degree and got experience at law firms," he added.
James Harrison believes the graduate job market is "overly saturated"
Law graduate James Harrison left university with high hopes of landing a role in the sector he trained for.
But reality soon sank in, as James's inbox became littered with no's from legal roles to coffee shop work.
In November seven million people watched James's video on Instagram detailing his rejection from a role as a barista.
"Nine out of 10 people I know didn't enter a role within nine months of graduating," James explained.
During his struggle to find a job, James started posting online with advice and tips about life after university.
"It went a bit crazy," James laughed.
James thought the viral video was slightly controversial and it received a mixed reaction.
"A lot of people said I shouldn't feel entitled to get a job just because I have a degree whilst a lot of other people are said they were in the same position," James said.
The 22-year-old started his law degree at The University of Lincoln in 2020 and graduated in 2023.
"It was extremely hard, I took a year out to focus on applications," he said.
Applying for roles became a daily routine; from applications, tests and video interviews, he became immersed in finding a job.
But he was getting turned down for everything.
'Overly saturated'
James believes the sparkle of degrees has faded a little and they are now "overly saturated".
"Thousands of people are leaving university with great experience and amazing grades.
"There are not enough jobs to go round for everyone."
"I'd gone through three years of a law degree and got experience at law firms," he added.
James Harrison
James hopes to normalise rejection after university
Data from the ONS shows the number of graduates aged 21-30 in highly skilled jobs has fallen from 61.7% in 2022 to 60.4% in 2023.
Stephen Isherwood, joint-CEO at the Institute of Student Employers, said it had always been a challenge to land a graduate job.
Mr Isherwood said many students experienced a "wake-up call" when leaving university as course places often did not correlate to the amount of industry positions.
"The number of applications students are making means there's a lot more competition for jobs," Mr Isherwood explained.
"Most employers do not limit who can apply, which means more students can apply for jobs, which means more students will be rejected," he added.
After a 15-month job search James secured a role as a paralegal at a law firm in Hull.
He still posts on social media, in the hope of helping people who are in his position and feel "lost".
"Social media paints this picture with law where you go to university and you come out with a training contract," he said.
He advises graduates struggling to find roles to "not take rejection personally".
"Take it in your stride."
James hopes to normalise rejection after university
Data from the ONS shows the number of graduates aged 21-30 in highly skilled jobs has fallen from 61.7% in 2022 to 60.4% in 2023.
Stephen Isherwood, joint-CEO at the Institute of Student Employers, said it had always been a challenge to land a graduate job.
Mr Isherwood said many students experienced a "wake-up call" when leaving university as course places often did not correlate to the amount of industry positions.
"The number of applications students are making means there's a lot more competition for jobs," Mr Isherwood explained.
"Most employers do not limit who can apply, which means more students can apply for jobs, which means more students will be rejected," he added.
After a 15-month job search James secured a role as a paralegal at a law firm in Hull.
He still posts on social media, in the hope of helping people who are in his position and feel "lost".
"Social media paints this picture with law where you go to university and you come out with a training contract," he said.
He advises graduates struggling to find roles to "not take rejection personally".
"Take it in your stride."
No comments:
Post a Comment