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China jobs

High costs have resulted in several metro systems in major Chinese cities recording net losses. Photo: AFP

Security s-train: how scans, X-rays at China’s many metro stations take a toll

Weighing up national security concerns and economic burdens, some analysts say that thorough evaluations of public security systems could help lay a track for China’s economic recovery.

Analysts see pros to the security, including guarding against terrorist attacks, but as the public waits in long queues, expenses have people asking how much is too much

11 Jul 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Social tensions in China reach boiling point as job, wage issues take their toll

10 Jul 2024 - 2:18PMvideocam

China’s ‘overpaid’ finance workers see salaries tumble but is price too heavy?

10 Jul 2024 - 11:54AM

Unemployment in China

Amid China’s ongoing economic struggles, unemployment remains a headache for Beijing. In this eight-part series, we examine the range of unemployment issues facing the world’s second-largest economy, from young people to “the curse of 35”, as well as gig workers and the political implications.

10 Jul 2024 - 3:03PM

Time for China to confront gig worker phenomenon that’s becoming the new normal

China has around 200 million gig workers who make a living from various temporary jobs, but they lack the security of traditional employment.

9 Jul 2024 - 10:08AMvideocam

More than half of China’s top companies downsized last year. What now?

A Post review of 23 annual reports from leading Chinese firms found that more than half downsized last year, while others slashed staff-related expenses.

9 Jul 2024 - 4:22PM

‘Don’t feel ashamed’: graduates told to embrace China’s financial reshuffle

Students at a university in Shanghai told not to be ashamed of taking a job in China’s finance sector amid the industry’s heightened scrutiny and dwindling reputation.

9 Jul 2024 - 9:11AM

Despite recent lay-offs and pay cuts, salaries in the finance industry remain among the highest in China, with the sector continuing to be one of the most coveted career paths for graduates. Pictured are students at their graduation ceremony at Wuhan University. File photo: dpa

China sees changing of career guard as AI beats out finance in pay pyramid

China’s drive for self-sufficiency in tech, combined with the global popularity of AI applications, has led to jobs in the field topping finance for pay as the job market shifts to match demand.

7 Jul 2024 - 7:00PMvideocam

In China, jobseekers with chronic illness stand up against discrimination

Health standard that excludes many from public service is now default in other industries, leaving otherwise qualified applicants despondent.

9 Jul 2024 - 10:50AMvideocam

China’s elder millennials quest afar, seeking ‘curse of 35’ cure

Youthful vigour is like a +5 character perk in the Chinese workforce, but veteran industry players who know their profession inside and out are the ones companies want to send abroad.

9 Jul 2024 - 9:19AM

Job recruiters are relatively less interested in workers over the age of 35 in China. But this can work to other countries’ advantage. Photo: Bloomberg

‘Job seeking is fierce’: China’s desperate youth provide headache for Beijing

Chinese President Xi Jinping called employment a ‘most basic livelihood concern’, pledging to make youth employment a top policy priority.

9 Jul 2024 - 9:18AMvideocam

Opinion | From education to taxes, how China can boost demand and drive growth

Growth no longer depends on net exports or foreign investment but on aggregate demand from within China – and there are two promising sources.

5 Jul 2024 - 5:50AMvideocam

Rising joblessness in China’s most vibrant tech hub points to worrying trends

With a service sector struggling to retain jobs amid digitalisation and a relocation of labour-intensive industries, pressures are seen having worrisome economic implications.

4 Jul 2024 - 10:50AM

China’s moonlighters seek side gigs on Alibaba’s online flea market

Xianyu, also known as Idle Fish, has launched a new feature allowing users to hire themselves out for part-time jobs.

3 Jul 2024 - 6:00PM

A Chinese woman stands in front of a billboard with the words “looking for a job” at a subway station in Beijing. Photo: AP Photo

Chinese consumers are tightening their belts: What does that mean for the rest of the world?

2 Jul 2024 - 11:00AM

15:12

Microsoft closes bricks-and-mortar retail stores in China

Microsoft directed the operators of its authorised bricks-and-mortar stores on the mainland to shut down their shops by June 30.

1 Jul 2024 - 8:30PM

Tencent to close online education platform as restructuring efforts continue

Shuttering the 10-year-old online education platform with more than 400 million users shows Tencent’s focus on its cost-cutting strategy.

1 Jul 2024 - 5:02PM

Is search for love in the ‘iron rice bowl’ killing growth in northern China?

Paper shows having a government job may outrank salary, education, ability, appearance or love for young Chinese seeking a partner.

30 Jun 2024 - 3:16PMvideocam

It is an unwritten social norm in China’s northeast for young people with government jobs to only marry each other, researcher says, flagging talent flight, joblessness, and declining birth rate. Photo: Xinhua

Semiconductor start-up Woodson goes belly up, dashing China’s chip ambitions

Woodson was once an emerging star in China’s semiconductor industry.

26 Jun 2024 - 9:52PMvideocam

Former official names rural-urban divide as hindrance to China’s economic future

A former official has enumerated the ‘imbalances’ encumbering China’s economy, putting special emphasis on the divide between rural and urban areas exacerbated by a system of household registration.

20 Jun 2024 - 8:30PM

Opinion | Even if jobs are scarce in China, they should offer more than stability

A civil servant’s complaints about her posting sparked an online backlash about her lack of the spirit of public service. Is it fair?

20 Jun 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Candidates queue to take the exam for admission to the civil service in Wuhan on November 28, 2021. Civil service jobs have become highly coveted among young people in recent years amid an increasingly tight job market. Photo: AFP

Explainer | ‘Urban drifters’: people who roam China’s cities all day to hide jobless plight

China’s jobless are feeling so ashamed about their status that they are hiding it from family and friends by walking the streets or sitting in cafes during working hours.

18 Jun 2024 - 6:00PM

Jobless, so-called urban drifters in China roam the streets of cities during the working week to hide their unemployment shame from friends and families. The Post examines the phenomenon. Photo: SCMP composite/Shutterstock

China stands with delivery riders, as 17-point plan seeks to boost party reach

New guidelines for gig worker welfare include plan for ‘part-time social supervisors’, as Communist Party seeks closer control of society.

14 Jun 2024 - 8:07PMvideocam

Opinion | Overcapacity? China’s competitive edge lies elsewhere

Conversations about China’s industrial policy or overcapacity distract us from understanding what’s behind the country’s economic success.

10 Jun 2024 - 8:30PMvideocam

Opinion | Don’t doubt China’s resolve to tackle youth unemployment

Recent reports of Xi Jinping telling young people to ‘eat bitterness’ suggests a helpless government asking youth to simply endure. This is far from the truth.

10 Jun 2024 - 5:30AMvideocam

China’s expanding travel curbs are cutting off more workers from global travel

Chinese in the state sector and beyond face stiffer overseas travel barriers as security agencies attempt to reduce corruption risks.

6 Jun 2024 - 7:07AM

Explainer | Warning sign for China’s economic growth? 4 takeaways from May’s PMI data

China’s official purchasing managers’ indices (PMI) fell in May, with the manufacturing gauge falling into contraction, while the Caixin/S&P Global indices rose last month.

6 Jun 2024 - 1:01AM

ByteDance enters ‘second phase’ of video gaming business, Nuverse head says

Under new leadership, ByteDance unit Nuverse is expected to focus on ‘fun games’, while adhering to long-term goals.

3 Jun 2024 - 8:38PM

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China jobs

China has always placed a high priority on support for the jobs market, seeing a high level of employment as connected to overall social stability. In addition, the working element of the country’s 1.4 billion population is a key for driving economic growth. A major concern for Beijing is ensuring employment for the rising number of fresh university and college graduates who enter the work force every year, as well as the rising number of retires who need to be supported via the pension fund by those in employment. China provides an official surveyed unemployment rate for urban workers, although it is seen by some as being unrepresentative of the overall employment situation, as it does not include most of China’s 149 million self-employed business owners and nearly 300 million migrant workers.