People attend a job fair in China
[People News] What kind of mega-spectacle would it be if more than 100,000 people jammed and crowded together?
110,000 Bachelor’s, Master’s, and PhD Graduates Scramble for 9,000 Jobs
This is not a star concert where fans wave their phones and light up the night.It’s not the World Cup group stage where fans roar with excitement.It’s not a New Year’s Eve fireworks show or a grand cultural pilgrimage.
This was a fall campus job fair. In mid-September, Heilongjiang University’s gymnasium was packed to the brim with people. A total of 110,000 degree holders frantically competed for just over 9,000 jobs—on average, more than ten applicants fighting for a single position.
What should have been a beautiful scene of young students leaving behind years of hard study, spreading their wings to start a new chapter in life, turned into a black comedy scene reminiscent of mass migration chaos or a locust swarm.
The legendary path of advancing to graduate school, getting on the “gold list,” or changing destiny through education—was ruthlessly crushed at the first gate of entering the job market. Graduating means unemployment, dreams shattered in golden autumn. Who could have thought that a campus job fair would mimic the desperate chaos of pandemic escape, looking like residents panic-buying and fleeing en masse from a stricken city?
According to reports from several mainland media outlets: At 6 a.m. in the Northeast, just as the sky lightened, students carrying thick stacks of resumes and bitter dreams rushed to Heilongjiang University’s gymnasium like war refugees. By 7 a.m., the line stretched like a long dragon, winding from the gymnasium all the way to the subway station.
The autumn morning air was already chilly. Some queued for two or three hours, finally nearing the entrance—only to be met with a cold notice: “Resume submissions full, no longer accepted.” A harsh setback right at the start.
According to mainland media, 80% of the positions required at least a master’s degree, with many directly marked as “PhD or Double First-Class universities only.” One applicant complained that though a job originally said “Master’s degree or above, 3k–5k salary,” once too many master’s graduates showed up, HR raised the bar on the spot to PhD only.
A high degree is no longer a golden ticket. Even master’s grads are sidelined, while PhDs barely get an entry pass. College and bachelor’s grads are reduced to onlookers. This isn’t just degree devaluation—it’s the brutal reality of “education is useless.” No wonder well-known blogger Hu Chenfeng said that an IELTS score of 7.5–9 carries more weight than a degree from a 985 or 211 university in today’s job market.
Degrees Soaring, Salaries Collapsing
Even worse: as degrees skyrocket, salaries plunge off a cliff. One company in Gansu recruited a graduate student and openly offered a “huge” salary of just 2,000 RMB/month. An auto parts company wanted 20 workers, required PhDs, and offered only 3,500–5,000 RMB/month.
According to China.com, Harbin Library’s talent board stated it would only accept master’s and PhD graduates from 2023 onward in liberal arts, with salaries of just 3,000–4,000 RMB/month. Liaoning Jinzhou Cultural Tourism Group recruited a secretary—requirement: master’s in Chinese language and literature from a 985/211 university; starting salary: only 3,500 RMB.
“Gold will always shine”? Nonsense. When everyone is gold, then none of it shines. In 2024, nannies, delivery drivers, and rideshare workers earn more than this.
And it’s not just liberal arts—science majors don’t fare better. Harbin Institute for Special Equipment Supervision recruited PhD grads in STEM for 2025 at 4,000–5,000 RMB/month. That’s only 1,000 RMB higher than liberal arts PhDs, shocking many netizens.
A 5,000 RMB monthly salary becomes 3,000–3,500 RMB after social insurance and housing fund deductions. Subtract rent, utilities, and transport, and only 1,500–2,000 RMB remain—barely survival. Social life, marriage, housing, child-rearing? Impossible luxuries.
It takes around 27 years from kindergarten to PhD graduation. Aside from the parents’ effort, just the cost of education over 20 years is staggering.
According to the 2024 China Child-Rearing Cost Report, raising a child to PhD costs on average 680,000 RMB. Of that, tuition and extracurricular education is about 230,000 RMB (34%). That’s based on mostly public schools—private school and tutoring would cost much more.
Estimations show: average total education costs from kindergarten to PhD = 550,000–600,000 RMB. Tuition alone (no living costs) = 300,000–400,000 RMB. With extracurricular training = 700,000–800,000 RMB. In top cities like Shanghai, costs may exceed 1 million RMB.
Even if your child is brilliant and earns a PhD by 30, at 35 they face job barriers, earning 5,000 RMB/month. After deductions, 3,000 RMB/month = 50,000 RMB/year. Only after 20 years of work could one even talk about “return on investment” in education. Want a house? A lifetime of servitude to the bank.
Netizens sigh: wages today are like those of 15–20 years ago, once adjusted for inflation and purchasing power.
Even sadder: master’s graduates’ employment rate this year may be only 44.4%, lower than bachelor’s at 45.4%. Vocational graduates are doing better at 56.6%. The halo of high degrees is fading. In August, China’s youth unemployment rate hit a new high: 16–24 urban unemployment rose from 17.8% in July to 18.9%. This excludes students, meaning the real number is higher.
That 1.1% increase means something. With 12.22 million college grads in 2025 (430,000 more than last year), that’s 1.34 million more unemployed. Some netizens claim the real youth unemployment may exceed 70%.
Economic Decline Tightens the “Graduate = Unemployed” Curse
Next year may be worse: 2026 grads will surge to 15.93 million (3.71 million more than this year). Even conservative estimates put it at 12.5–13 million. Either way, graduate numbers will skyrocket.
High unemployment reflects economic weaknesses. As the economy slows, jobs vanish—young people hit hardest. Okun’s law shows unemployment rises with weaker growth, especially for youth, whose rates correlate strongly with downturns.
Inflation data: in August, CPI fell 0.4% YoY, largest drop in six months, worse than expected. PPI fell 2.9%. Economist Huang Zichun (Capital Economics) said weak demand and overcapacity mean deflation won’t ease soon.
Exports are weak too. August exports rose just 4.4% YoY, below expectations. Exports to the U.S. collapsed 33.1%, fifth straight month of double-digit declines. The U.S. is China’s largest single trade partner—no market can replace it. Trump announced Sept. 25 that tariffs of up to 100% on Chinese imports like building materials, furniture, and medicine will begin in October—huge blow to China’s exports.
Real estate is collapsing. Home prices plunge even after restrictions lifted. Top broker Lianjia laid off 9,000 employees in August.
Netizens summarize the bleak cycle:
Escape reality = postgraduate exams, civil service exams, government job exams.
Try entrepreneurship = street vending, opening a shop, self-media.
Failure cycle = food delivery, courier, rideshare.
No matter the path, it’s overcrowded and fiercely competitive.
“Decent jobs” are harder and harder to find. The “graduate = unemployed” curse tightens. No degree can escape employment anxiety. The road for young people is growing steeper. Behind the cold statistics is China’s unstoppable economic downturn.
(First published by People News) △
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