Job Fairs Are Packed, But Few Are Finding Employment(Video Screenshot)
October 30, 2024 - China’s overall unemployment rate and youth unemployment rate remain high. The number of applicants for the 2025 National Civil Service Exam in China has reached a new historical peak, hitting 3.25 million, with the competition ratio for one position reaching as high as 16,702:1. Experts bluntly state that this fails to address major issues, and the civil service exam is essentially just for show.
The registration system for the 2025 National Civil Service Exam opened at 8 a.m. on October 15 and closed at 6 p.m. on October 24, with 3,258,274 people signing up—a record-breaking increase of more than 340,000 people from last year.
However, the previously released 2025 National Civil Service Exam announcement showed that this year, 39,721 positions will be recruited, with an average competition of 82 people per position. The most competitive area, Tibet, averages 150 people competing for one position. Even more eye-catching is that the position for a first-level officer in the Liaison Department of the China Vocational Education Society had only one opening, yet 16,702 people applied, creating a competition ratio of 16,702:1.
In response, senior analyst in China’s capital market, Xu Zhen, told the Epoch Times that China’s economy is already critically ill. As of 2024, 460,000 companies have closed down nationwide, and 3.1 million self-employed businesses have canceled their registration, leading to a wave of unemployment that directly impacts the existing employment market. Meanwhile, the number of new graduates has continued to increase yearly—from 8.74 million in 2020 to 9.09 million in 2021, over 10 million in 2022 reaching 10.76 million, 11.58 million in 2023, and 11.79 million in 2024. By 2027, the number of university graduates is expected to approach 14 million.
She said that the wave of unemployment is a "nightmare" for graduates, and compared to this, the civil service exam is basically just a formality, unable to solve the major issues, not to mention the many instances of corruption behind the scenes.
She urged unemployed individuals and fresh graduates to have a clear understanding of China’s economic situation. Currently, a series of extreme measures by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), such as interest rate cuts, reserve requirement reductions, debt-to-equity swaps, and the establishment of “Police-Tax Combined Operational Centers,” are essentially exploiting the public, while the CCP is the root cause of all suffering among the Chinese people.
In addition, Professor Sun Guoxiang from Taiwan's Nanhua University, Department of International Affairs and Business, told the Epoch Times that currently, many civil servants in various parts of China are facing pay cuts, reflecting the economic and financial pressures at present.
"Local government financial pressures in China have continued to increase in recent years, especially due to the sluggish real estate market, pandemic-related spending, and debt burdens. Many local governments' revenues are insufficient to maintain original spending levels. Pay cuts indicate the government is under pressure to reduce spending and balance the budget, which also highlights the issue of decreased local government fiscal revenues and increased debt burdens." Sun believes that although the CCP has introduced a series of policies to stimulate the economy, including infrastructure investment and support for small and medium-sized enterprises, the effects have been limited, particularly in terms of promoting youth employment.
He noted that currently, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and private enterprises in China still face financing difficulties, and insufficient demand in many industries affects economic and employment growth. Although some local government departments are promoting technical vocational education, encouraging young Chinese people to work in rural or marginal areas, or enter emerging industries such as new energy, digital, and economic fields, these new industries require time to mature, and thus in the short term, they cannot satisfy the demand for stable jobs for a large number of young people in China.
He said the high youth unemployment rate, especially the employment difficulties of recent graduates, is prompting many young people to consider civil service exams as a last stable option. This demonstrates that young people's desire for stable careers surpasses concerns about pay cuts, and their longing for stability also reflects the fragility and uncertainty of the job market, which is unlikely to improve quickly in the short term.
Responsible Editor: Gao Jing
News magazine bootstrap themes!
I like this themes, fast loading and look profesional
Thank you Carlos!
You're welcome!
Please support me with give positive rating!
Yes Sure!