Some Chinese Universities Recommend 'Flexible Employment' to Students
"Forced Submission of Employment Certificates... Due to Employment Rate"
Youth Unemployment Rate at 20% in April... Worst Level Ever Recorded
As China's youth unemployment rate surpasses the worst-ever level of 20%, some Chinese universities are reportedly forcing students into 'freelance jobs' such as food delivery and part-time work.
Hong Kong media outlet South China Morning Post (SCMP) focused on the reality of Chinese university students who, after failing to find jobs post-graduation, are exploring freelancing and entrepreneurship on the 5th (local time). L, a woman in her 20s majoring in English literature at a university in Hebei Province in northern China, searched for a job for several months but failed to secure a full-time position.
As time passed, university career counselors pressured L to find a job as soon as possible, and eventually, L decided to work for a Chinese e-commerce company making and selling handmade beads.
L told SCMP, "University staff are forcing graduates to sign 'flexible employment' contracts." According to the media, Chinese universities must increase graduate employment rates to receive good evaluations.
L claimed, "Our university forces those who do not enter graduate school or cannot find jobs to apply for freelance employment and obtain employment certificates," adding, "It seems like they will do anything to increase employment rates. It feels as if they do not allow graduates to become unemployed."
She also appealed, "This puts even more psychological pressure on graduates who are already struggling in the bleak job market."
China's unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24 reached a record high of 20.4% in April, up from 19.6% in March. Moreover, about 10 million new graduates are expected to enter the labor market this summer.
The Chinese government has also announced an 'employment-first strategy' aiming to create 12 million new jobs this year.
The problem lies in the lack of stable full-time jobs, leading many young people to flow into 'flexible employment,' which includes food delivery, freelancing, part-time jobs, and small-scale entrepreneurship.
In particular, some universities, aiming to increase graduate employment rates, are increasingly hiring students as freelancers and then classifying them as 'regular workers,' suggesting that the actual youth unemployment problem in China may be even more severe.
According to the media, as of the end of 2021, there were 200 million freelancers in China, a threefold increase compared to the previous year. Additionally, data compiled by a Chinese institution shows that from 2020 to 2021, 16% of Chinese university graduates chose flexible labor.
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