China’s youth unemployment rate remains high, with August figures showing 18.8% unemployment for 16- to 24-year-olds, a new high for the year. To address this issue, Shanghai has announced measures to ease unemployment by expanding the definition of “recent graduates.”
Shanghai’s Human Resources and Social Security Bureau has issued a notice requiring state-owned enterprises and central enterprises in Shanghai to open campus recruitment positions to university graduates within two years of graduation, regardless of work experience or social security contributions.
This policy change is not unique to Shanghai. Other provinces like Hunan, Shandong, Guizhou, and Guangxi have also adjusted their criteria for recent graduate status, with variations in the time frame (e.g., Hunan extending it to three years post-graduation).
Xiong Bingqi, dean of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, suggests focusing on overall employment rather than emphasizing recent graduate status to reduce job seekers’ anxiety about their status.
China’s youth unemployment rate had previously exceeded 20% for three consecutive months from April to June 2023, peaking at 21.3% in June. The government then suspended publishing age-specific urban unemployment rates until January 2024, when they resumed with adjusted statistical methods excluding in-school students.
These measures reflect China’s ongoing efforts to address high youth unemployment and create more opportunities for recent graduates in a challenging job market.
Source: Central News Agency (Taiwan), October 6, 2024
https://www.cna.com.tw/news/acn/202410060127.aspx