Birth rate woes hit China where schools are closing for lack of children

Provinces Jiangxi, Hubei and Hunan are also cutting back on teacher jobs, putting added pressure on a bleak labour market

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China’s ultra-low fertility is leading to a fall in demand for teachers, just as the country grapples to create enough jobs for new graduates. Photo: Shutterstock

Published: 9:00am, 2 Aug 2024

Several Chinese provinces are cutting back on teacher recruitment because of the falling numbers of schoolchildren in recent years, in a reflection of the country’s deepening demographic challenges.

Deep cuts in teaching positions – widely regarded in China as stable and socially respected – add further uncertainty to the already bleak jobs market as the country grapples to create enough work for its massive labour force, especially new graduates.

Education authorities in the eastern province of Jiangxi said this year’s new preschool, primary and secondary school teaching positions would be cut by 54.7 per cent to 4,968 – less than one-third of its recruitment two years ago.

In neighbouring Hubei province, recruitment of schoolteachers has dropped one-fifth over the same period.

The main reason for the fall appears to be the declining numbers of schoolchildren, as China experiences a period of “ultra-low” fertility, with fewer than 1.4 live births per woman over a lifetime.

The China Population and Development Research Centre estimates that the total fertility rate dropped to 1.09 in 2022, while the number of births halved between 2016 and 2023, to 9.02 million.

Jiangxi’s education department acknowledged the challenge in an official reply to suggestions on system reform at the end of June. “[The] low fertility rate will become one of the main risks for the country’s population development,” it said.