Lemmy.World

Summary

China’s economic slowdown and high youth unemployment (16.1% as of November 2024) have left millions of highly educated graduates in low-paying or mismatched jobs, such as waiters, cleaners, or extras in films.

Fields like finance, manufacturing, and tech no longer offer sufficient opportunities, forcing many to reassess career aspirations.

Family pressures and criticisms exacerbate the situation, though some view their current roles as stepping stones toward entrepreneurial goals.

Uncertainty about the economy’s trajectory leaves many young workers feeling disillusioned and insecure.

China is now a country where a high-school handyman has a master's degree in physics; a cleaner is qualified in environmental planning; a delivery driver studied philosophy, and a PhD graduate from the prestigious Tsinghua University ends up applying to work as an auxiliary police officer. These are real cases in a struggling economy - and it is not hard to find more like them.