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Alice Li

There will be more fresh university graduates in China next year than ever before, according to government estimates, with the increase likely to put more pressure on the job market as the economy struggles to get back up to full steam.
Estimates released by the Ministry of Education on Thursday show that the number of university graduates would increase by 430,000 next year, reaching a record high of 12.22 million.
This year, as an estimated 11.79 million graduates flooded the job market, the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds, excluding students, rose in July and August, when it reached 18.8 per cent, the highest level since the data was revised last year.
In September, the youth unemployment rate dipped slightly to 17.6 per cent, still the second-highest level of the year.
The authorities release guidelines each year to help university students find jobs, and according to a guideline published by the Ministry of Education on Thursday, companies are prohibited from specifying in job descriptions that they will only recruit graduates from top-tier universities.


But securing employment remains a challenge for fresh graduates.
According to a report published by Zhilian Zhaopin, one of China’s biggest job-hunting platforms, only 55.5 per cent of the class of 2024 had a confirmed job offer by April, compared with 57.6 per cent for the class of 2023 at the same time last year.
Sara Lin, a postgraduate foreign language student at a university in Beijing, will graduate next year.
In September, she took part in a job fair as part of a talent acquisition programme organised by the city government in Chengdu, her hometown.
After submitting 20 applications, she received just one offer – from a government research institute in a suburban district.
Lin said her family was dissatisfied with the offer, as they felt she should have been able to secure a position in one of Chengdu’s main districts, given she was studying at a reputable university.
My family urged me to prepare for the national civil service exam and aim for a better offer, but I feel really tired now
Sara Lin, postgraduate student in Beijing
But Lin said only graduates from top-tier universities like Tsinghua and Peking University were selected for interviews by public institutions in Chengdu’s most developed districts this year.
“My family urged me to prepare for the national civil service exam and aim for a better offer, but I feel really tired now,” Lin said.
“Only those who’ve been through this process truly understand how lucky it is to secure a job in this fierce competition.”
After the unemployment rate for those aged 16 to 24, including students, surged to 21.3 per cent in June last year, Beijing suspended the release of the data.
It began publishing it again in December, with the new figures excluding students.


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Ministry estimates that number of university graduates next year will hit a record 12.22 million


Ministry estimates that number of university graduates next year will hit a record 12.22 million.


China economy

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