China’s Tsinghua University Releases Alarming Data on Undergraduate Employment
In a report released by Tsinghua University in Beijing, China’s economic recession has made finding a job increasingly difficult for recent graduates. The data reveals that only 284 undergraduate students signed for employment in 2023, accounting for a mere 8.8%.
The “Undergraduate Teaching Quality Report for the 2022-2023 Academic Year” also disclosed that as of October 31, 2023, 80.8% of the university’s fresh undergraduate graduates continued their studies, with 65.2% in domestic universities and 15.6% in overseas universities. Meanwhile, only 15.2% of graduates were employed.
The concept of “flexible employment” in the Chinese Communist Party was criticized as being synonymous with unemployment, and “contracted employment” at Chinese universities was revealed to be flawed. Many universities were reported to force graduates to report false employment agreements in order to receive their diplomas.
The report also highlighted that the remaining 4.0% of undergraduate graduates at Tsinghua University may be completely “unemployed.” It was also noted that 69.4% of graduates who signed employment contracts in 2023 will find employment outside Beijing, suggesting the difficulty of finding jobs in first-tier cities and developed areas.
Fudan University in Shanghai also released a similar report, with only 18.07% of its 2023 undergraduate graduates being directly employed.
The economic downturn has also led to an increase in China’s unemployment rate, particularly among youth aged 16 to 24. The CCP’s official unemployment rate for this demographic peaked at 21.3% from March to June last year, but has since been put under a moratorium.
Despite the official statistics, some experts have accused the CCP of underreporting the true extent of unemployment. Zhang Dandan, an associate professor at Peking University, estimated that China’s youth unemployment rate reached a peak of 46.5% in March last year, far exceeding the official data.
The release of these reports from prominent Chinese universities underscores the challenges faced by young graduates in the current economic climate. With more and more graduates opting to continue their studies instead of entering the job market, it is clear that the issue of unemployment is one that cannot be ignored.