China's young workers - overqualified and in low-paying jobs
www.bbc.com
With high youth unemployment rates, Chinese graduates are resorting to working as waiters, cleaners and movie extras.

Summary

China’s economic slowdown and high youth unemployment (16.1% as of November 2024) have left millions of highly educated graduates in low-paying or mismatched jobs, such as waiters, cleaners, or extras in films.

Fields like finance, manufacturing, and tech no longer offer sufficient opportunities, forcing many to reassess career aspirations.

Family pressures and criticisms exacerbate the situation, though some view their current roles as stepping stones toward entrepreneurial goals.

Uncertainty about the economy’s trajectory leaves many young workers feeling disillusioned and insecure.

  • Herding Llamas@lemmy.worldEnglish
    163·
    2 days ago

    An educated public is great. A highly educated public, all the better. In my eyes there is no over educated, but rather jobs should not be below certain people to do. One on the best bakers / pastry chef’s I worked with got his first degree in chemistry (which he still loves chemistry and does projects as side hobbies).

    • Flying Squid@lemmy.worldMEnglish
      231·
      2 days ago

      These people aren’t taking these jobs because they love driving and being film extras, they’re taking them because they’re desperate and can’t find any other kind of job.

      What’s going to be interesting is which is going to bite China in the ass first: all the people aging out of jobs or the fact that they are aging out after being so long in the jobs that they can’t find well-trained replacements.

    • Fades@lemmy.worldEnglish
      94·
      2 days ago

      What kind of orphan crushing machine is this comment?? Just like squid said, they’re forced to do this and not what they studied to do, what they dreamed of, etc.

      Your anecdote works because the chef likes to bake and chemistry and baking go hand in hand. Delivery driving or day laboring and college degrees? Not so much.

      • Aqarius@lemmy.worldEnglish
        8·
        2 days ago

        But also, they do have a point: education isn’t, or rather shouldn’t be, just a means to get a better job. We don’t think of someone who takes singing or playing lessons as “failed” if they don’t become a professional musician. A day labourer with an art degree isn’t worse than one without one

  • rayyy@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    2 days ago

    In the U.S. some love the “poorly educate” for political purposes until the dummies are no longer needed or they need educated talent, then it’s H-1B time.