Hi all, this is Wei, the director of the documentary. Thank you all for taking the time to watch the program. We spent 2 months tracking the job hunts of the young people you saw. I’m grateful for their participation, and moved by how they all had smiles on their faces and light in their eyes despite the curveball life has thrown at them. Our first profile Xiami now has his own channel, in which he talks with Chinese youths from all walks of life. If you speak Chinese, you can find him as 严肃的虾米.

When I graduation from college, I couldn't find a job for 2 years. I know how frustrating and depressing the journey can be. That was 30+ years ago. I am doing great now. Hang in there, never give up.

I graduated in the US in 2009, the year after the Financial crash. My entire graduating class that year had an unemployment rate of ~30%, and that's for people with a full Bachelor's degree or higher (even worse for those without). Nevertheless all of my friends who struggled then now have productive careers. So don't give up, keep looking, and get career experience wherever you can. Even part-time job and contracting work is better than nothing to put on your resume.

It is sad what is happening to these bright, young, industrious people. They seem malleable and resilient. I have empathy for them. I’m retired and disabled; I’ve found that few people want to hire 70 year old men that can’t walk much. I will pray that these young wonders find a way to fly in their lives!

Thank you to those brave students who agreed to be interviewed and shine a light on the harrowing experience of many in my generation. To those who are older, more experienced and have made it in life. It means the world to us you understand our struggles and challenges, even if you're not in the position to help us.

I love how he said that they're not releasing youth unemployment stats because the country is developing rapidly and the stats will get better. It's like me opting out of my performance review at work because I am, in my own assessment, getting more productive by the day, so I'll take the review next year.

I am Masters student at one of the top Canadian university, working in a warehouse as a part time for 30 hours per week under 0 degree Celsius temperature, travelling in a public transport for 2 hours daily, working on 3 academic project every 4 months and applying to more than 200 internship position in a month. All in all you have to struggle to survive no matter where you are.

I think the lack of opportunities is tied to how corporations are simultaneously abusing their current employees, overworking them, and then being unwilling to invest in the next generation of their work force.

There is a growing problem around the world in regard to the younger generation. They were told that getting a degree would enhance the future prospects, and that was true for the Boomer, Gen X and to some level Millennial generations. We as kept telling them the best way to improve their future was through a degree, so what happened and is still happening is that more and more youngsters are attending Universities, so now it's no longer an elite qualification. What's happened is that because so many people now have degrees they've effectively become worthless, they've become undervalued. So the next step was to get a Master's Degree, which has meant more and more are getting a Post Graduate qualification, and so lessening the value of a Master Degree. There are just too many youngsters out there looking for graduate level first jobs, and not enough jobs to go around. So you find individuals working in job roles that don't require a degree level qualification. So what we have in China and many other countries are an abundance of the younger generation who are over qualified with degrees that effectively worthless.

Youth unemployment is horrible. If the starting message to your work life is "nobody wants you at the peak of your employability", then imagine how these youths must feel with most of their life yet to come.

Numbers of graduates are growing. But the job market is actually shrinking. And another situation in China is that you might be facing layoff once you over 35. Not to mention people need to work so hard to get a job with the toxic work environment like intense workload and overtime. ( if you don't take this job, someone else will. Thats how toxic it is) I hope China can turn things around becuase there are many students like me are facing this challenge.

I'm a Taiwanese Australian. I feel sad watching this. It's not like these young people are not trying. I can say that they are a very resilient bunch - having to cope through COVID-19, navigate through an economic downturn, rising living cost, high competition in the job market, rising house price which is pretty much unreachable already for many working professionals. I hope they don't give up and keep trying. Hopefully things work out for them and it will get better!

Currently the "depreciation of degrees" is really getting crazy....I graduate in 2010 and I could easily find a job and the companies are willing to spend time & money to train employees. But nowadays, a lot of companies just simply skipped those candidates with undergraduate degree. For those people with lower degrees, they can only find the job as physical worker.

If employers are hiring students with masters for office work, how can lower education students get any jobs. This is crazy, so sorry for the rest of graduated youths.

I wouldn't be super happy on my graduation day if I knew I'd have such a difficult time finding a job afterwards. I can see why people would want to go graduate school, so they can prolong the job search.

College/Graduate degree is only meaningful if it's able to truly separate those with degree and those without degree with secure, well paying jobs. When you over expand colleges and universities without producing enough job opportunities, only the colleges are making money. Also, there are simply not enough high paying jobs for 11 million graduates, some are going to have to go into trade jobs or hourly service/hospitality jobs. The mismatch of job prospect expectation with college/graduate degree versus job market reality is a problem for all countries right now.

Sometimes a degree alone isn't sufficient, you need to prove to the employer that you are reliable, efficient, trustworthy etc. So to fresh graduates, don't be too choosey, grab whatever opportunities that comes your way just to get some of the hands on experience and references for future opportunities

Another reason is that Labor-intensive industry in China is quite exploitative, majority of youngers are not willing to seek a job in factory or catering industry. Meanwhile, the employers who offer low-skilled jobs are not willing to hire a worker with beholder's degree. Because they worry that these highly educated employees will leave since they are less likely to endure the high pressure.

A very well put together, balanced documentary. Enjoyed it a lot thanks

Found it very different in Canada. A Master’s degree may be a must for any entry level job in nowadays China, while in Canada it will reject you from any low wage job for being overqualified. Extremely harsh for new graduates without direct experience but useless degrees from top universities.

Must be said it is a complex issue to discuss in many aspects 😮‍💨 I also see training cost has shifted to the workers which we had to spend a lot and carry loans just to further educate ourselves for the job market 🙁 If after investing many thousands to graduate and cannot find a related job, it makes sense to feel the degree (investment) is wasted, thus explaining why would prefer and risk to keep looking for related jobs to use their qualifications and not take low-paying jobs 🤕 (But don't get me wrong, low-pay jobs is another issue that has to be addressed too because they are often underrated and should be fairly granted for their hard pay work

I think not only in China all around the world situation is same for youth😢

A good education is the dream of the parents. Its the economy that slaps the kids with the hand of reality.

The problem it seems is China has pushed its youth into tertiary education to suit a service based economy, despite the fact that China's main strength is manufacturing. Thr graph that shows China chasing down Germany's education rate doesn't mention one thing about Germany. The system there is much better structured for graduates, particularly from technical universities, to be placed in employment.

The last sentence of this young woman is incredible sad. Hope she finds a job soon

This is what the college grads in 2008 of the US went through. There's no easy solution. It will take years for the recovery and doom that generation.

I think there was an interesting subtext running under this set of stories which is that it’s not clear what the government or anyone else can do about this. Almost all the people featured pursued degrees in what were recently major growth sectors of the economy or for socially desirable roles. The skills mismatch is made more acute without a clear signal of where new growth will be. There’s some public messaging around manufacturing but it’s not clear how much that sector can grow in terms of employment. The entrepreneurs trying to move up the value chain in agriculture is a reasonable bet, but it’s not clear what type of support people are getting in trying out such options.

The drive of the young man towards the end will be going far in life. People with his mindset always find a way. Best of luck to the entire 🌎

The same is happening in the USA. I was paid $10 a hour out of highschool but with $100 I could fill a grocery cart with food. Later at $17 a hour with a mortgage and kids I had little left over. Younger people understand the cost of living and expect their pay to be enough to leave their parents homes but it got tough during covid and everyone got accustomed tor $20 and up per hour working retail jobs. The lower the workforce the higher the pay now they will hire more people working less hours and lower rates.

Noticed this happening in Europe 30 years ago. Was wondering what all the young people were doing on the office floor with a BA/MA degree, and staying. Is called degree inflation. Luckily we were a society already transformed to a service industry and could afford these changes.

This is so unfair. People shouldn't be penalised for needing jobs that dont exist

They tell you education is the answer, then when you graduate they tell you its not what you know but who you know that matters, without blinking an eye.

The problem is education level has been climbing up too rapidly and chinese graduates are mostly focused on academic educations, not much blue collar educations. There is a vast vacant of needs in many areas, but only less educated people are willing to do those skilled labours, people just wanna sit in the office and that is considered decent.

I graduated in 2015, in a job market still crippled by the economic crisis and in a branche that was struggling. I really feel for these kids. I remember the idiotic demands some companies made. A masters for basically everything, even though a couple of years earlier that was not the case. They did it because they could. Now in 2023, these same companies are facing difficulty hiring people because the tables have turned. The boomers are retiring and now the employers have to think outside the box to get people and to get them to stay. Now there are not enough qualified people on the job market. The situation in China might turn out to be different, but I think there is a light at the end of the tunnel. To all the people who graduated: Don't give up!

When I graduated from university, my cohort and I also faced a tough time with employment due to the usual economic cycles and lack of work experience. It certainly doesn’t help now since so many kids are going into university instead of suitable vocational training. Given that the current global economy is undergoing a major slow down, unprecedented credit pressures, and major geopolitical shifts, are we over hyping this as a unique China problem? Seems like my kids and their peers are in a similar situation here in Canada. Perhaps we can work through this down cycle as a global community as we have done in the past if we stop spending so much time, energy, and resources on global conflicts.

I Feel bad for these Chinese youth having lived this myself after graduating spring of 2007. I’ve never had a job that required my business degree only low wage jobs and made more in the 90s as a kid working summer jobs than after graduating.

Maybe the government of China should look into subsidizing apprenticeships as a way to bridge the skills-gap. It could be done instead of government incentives to go toward college. The companies could train the workers who don't have the specialized skills (but do have other skills the company needs). The money lost from subsidies would be replaced by the new workers' income tax. *Edit: I got to the point in the video at 35 minutes in where it talked about the very thing I had suggested.

The problem is that during China's lockdown, many companies were unable to continue operating and closed down. There were more and more graduates but fewer and fewer job opportunities. But more importantly, imagine if you graduated from college, you wouldn't expect to work as a factory worker or delivering for Uber, you'd look for some high-paying job. And many college students are unwilling to return to their hometowns to work because they think big cities are more prosperous. This has led to more and more college students graduating and staying in big cities, preferring to wait without any income until they find a 'decent' job. For example, if you are from India or Bangladesh and you want to stay and work in New York, the Americans will not give you a work visa or green card. At this time, many people would rather stay in the United States without income or work in restaurants rather than return to their hometowns.

Youth unemployment rate in China has something to do with overemphasis on higher education, at the expense of trade and vocational education, that not having a university diploma may affect future prospects of getting married.

I hope these young people will find a way out.

empathy for the students. but don't give up. keep your head high and be positive. i remember when i graduated a long time ago, the job market was so poor that we had ph.d. people working in very minimal jobs. when the oil price crashed a few years ago, we had oil companies vp working in gas station. so keep a positive attitude, the sun will always rise the next morning. love from canada.

This is mainly due to the huge number of graduates and basically, the job market is stagnated for this kind of kids. The thing is that when you have a high degree in China people tend to only work on their studies area, not wanting to embark on other career paths, this is a mentality problem, not a structural one. Chinese recovery from COVID-19 was bad only because of the government. they didn't end the lockdowns at the proper time and it was a bit unnecessary to do it. The problem with the job market for the youth is not only in China, just ask how many Europeans or Americans are working on their studies area and then you will see. I want to point out that this is not a straight failure, but it needs to be solved soon. I nearly cried with that girl at the end of the video, I hope she gets a job soon, even just to pay for her necessities.

That's why many people got their small family business so their children can run the business while looking for their favourite jobs. We Malaysians did that. Even we got into niche market - plants nursery, coffee shop, small bakery etc... Try to learn some niche skills - animal grooming, pets care, ...

This isn't just an issue in China. There have been an overvaluation/marketing of college education in many countries, including the US. This is because it used to be great. Once about a time, only the best and brightest(and some rich/powerful) get to go to college. So naturally, their out come are great, not just because they are college educated, but also because they are the best and brightest(or rich and powerful). In some ways, college is but a certificate for talent. But as college becoming increasingly common, that's no longer true. In many places, college educated have became the norm, so it is no longer a hallmark itself. Instead, competition is back to primarily merit, which the college education is no longer a proof of. Fundamentally, this is a societal problem at large on the perspective of colleges. While "everyone is created equal" sounds nice, it is just factually not true in regards to aptitude. People have different talents at different things. Many people just aren't book smart. Some are, for example, great with their hands and would have made a great tradesman that could earn more over mediocre grades at mediocre college but are pushed toward college nevertheless. As for the actual talentless, to be blunt, it is better to subsidize their life for... life, than having them waste educational resources and then have to be subsidized for life anyway. Barrier to entry for education/training based on meritocracy is not a bad thing inherently. The problem, naturally, is that this might be bad for the economically/socially disadvantaged, as almost all test of meritocracy is affected by prior education/training. But the solution to that should not be blind admission via lowering of the barrier, but rather attempt to provide better early stage education/training to them. This, btw, is also the reason why I dislike the concept of AA and any other such programs. While it might be the simplest solution and, if all else fails, a better-than-nothing compromise, the reality of the result tend to be grim. Given the high rate of, let's be honest, economical failures of college graduates, those who are barely able to get in through any preferential program are even less likely to be successful. So the end result tend to be an increase of student debt laden individuals among already disadvantaged population. it would be far better, IMO, to find ways to shore up primary and secondary education for the disadvantaged. This might take longer to see any results, but would actually help those who are talented but merely lack opportunity. As for those who, in the end, not suited for a paper education, they would know so sooner and look for alternatives. As alluded earlier, trades can be quite lucrative and we need more people in them.

In Singapore, early entrants seems well received typically baring in mind biz environment. One area of concerns for jobs may be for mid-careerist and thereafter groups of new young seniors

I graduate in 1997 during Tom Yum Kung crisis. Most of my Thai friend opt for higher education sponsor by their parents. It's took some time for job markets to recover.

Thanks for elaborating and narrating the difficulties of young people unemployment's rate in China. I do not know the concerted reasons why for the situations are never proposed. It is not a generation issue, but the country system problem. Everyone knows who did it and you cannot raise a name for responsible for it. That is ridiculous.

Most countries are experiencing stagflation and shrinking economies now, thus more unemployment is to be expected. Singapore too is having a tough job market with many unemployed from around the world flooding it. Despite all this bad news about China's shrinking demographics, they still have a huge workforce; only that the young are currently a little overqualified for the available jobs. They just need to adjust their expectations for the time being to the current market conditions. It is only temporary but necessary to increase the country's productivity and help it pull through. Time to think laterally and apply some street smart not just book smart. '吃苦'' is not to be literally interpreted as ''eating bitterness'', but rather it means being resilient, having endurance and working through difficulties! Their educational system could do with more sports and outdoor activities that takes the kids out of their comfort zone and challenges them earlier in life. It will help them to develop personal skills they need in life!

It's a much more serious problem than the video implies. Unemployed people won't go out to build families - which means another generation of low birth rates, and a continued downwards spiral etc, etc. China's failure to take care of this explosive unemployment problem will mean a continuing drop of population that the CCP will not be able to control.

his father is actually correct master's degree is not supposed to have so much graduate if the standard is substantiated

I think people would be interested in factory jobs if those jobs offered benefits . My mom use to work at a toothbrush factory she was full time , got benefits and even received profit-share . After 25 years she finally retired but in her final years noticed all the new employees were part time . Part time employees don’t get benefits . Work accidents occur more often in a factory environment , not having healthcare definitely keeps me from working a labor intensive job.

so . . . at some points, my nephew come to me and asked about his job searching. so when i asked why he choose his specific degree in college, he said that according to statistic, his degree has a large number of demand from job market. i had to explain to him that, such demand would have to be compared to the amount of applicant and graduates. And also most of job would require certain amount of experience, not only a degree. So in the end he would have to search for some small project to fill in his CV and hoping for more things.

The parents and government should consider preparing the youth for the jobs that are actually needing workers. Jobs that need to be filled. Must be strategic and logical. If you want a paycheck go after the actual available jobs not a pipedream.

Most unofficial youth unemployment statistics say its the other way round 25% employed and 75% unemployed in a skilled profession they went to university for and most seem to consider this as roughly correct, Also the well known practice of university's and college's withholding their diploma if they don't have a job that can bump the numbers as there is obviously a fear by these institutions that they will suffer financial problems if 70% to 80% of students can't get a job except a delivery driver,

Covid had been tough on every country. All the Asian country have high youth unemployment. A lot of young graduates will have to take any jobs offered rather than the discipline they studied. In Kuala Lumpur,the rental for condos are BELOW pre Covid. Business is bad and everyone have to lower their expectations.

It's heart-wrenching to hear that. Flashback to 14 years ago, right out of college, I was filled with zeal and joined an NGO in Beijing. Six months in, with not a penny to my name, I felt the weight of my dreams clashing with reality. Seeking change, I ventured to West Africa, and that twist led me to further my education in the US. (Big shoutout to Notre Dame for the full ride!) That leap of faith transformed my life. Today, I'm blessed with financial freedom, have had the honor to teach at a university, founded my own company, and I'm pouring my heart into videos to spread financial knowledge and inspire others to truly live. I often wonder, if I hadn't taken that first step away from home, where would I be now? 🌍📚🎥🌱

This is same in India. Post doctorate degree holder applies for government group c and d jobs where minimum eligibility criteria is class 12 or diploma holders

I'm surprised by, as of late, every time I listen to news about some other country, how much similar everyone's situation is to our own here in Italy.

when you leave the university, you enter into the real world. Life after can be very challenging and hard

1.overall economic de-acceleration after covid 2.reducing of small and private enterprises due to increasing of labor costs 3. House markets which account for huge labor force declined 4.more vocational training schools required than universities

As a nurse it makes me sad that people get a degree in elderly care and eventually talk about it in such a rude way. I understand the pay is low (in China, in the Netherlands I honestly can't complain) so it may not be someone's first choice but to me it seems better to have a job instead of no job at all? Nursing and taking care of sick people/elderly should definitely be a calling. How would these young people feel if their loved ones would be treated/talked about like that? Maybe I should be glad that people who talk about caring for others in such a way don't end up actually working in the field. The young boy who admits being spoiled by his parents doesn't seem to ever be motivated to work. Obviously for a large part his parents are to blame.

Require/reward companies to accommodate entry level positions and punish them for growing a company too slowly if they have the means to expand. All business should be accessible if you're personally invested in the success of that company though. All Positions a society needs should be visible and accessible for anyone to contribute to with the least amount of hassle. There need to be more incentives for taking on apprentices and new hires.

I think graduates returning to the countryside to learn and help is a good thing. The lesson here is be humble, don't squander your wealth to show off and... the parents?!

I like this documentary as it's reveal almost most current issues where most china citizens might not like it but worth mentioning..jobless issue are rising in all over the world but from my own view its becouse high expectations from the fresh graduates themselves.mostly wanted to expect high salary less work load and doesn't have the drive to picture hard work becouse they think they are good enough to be employ without knowing that they have 0% experience..this is the problem..im sure job opportunities are huge regardless the ratio given like 1-3 applicants but in reality its not the case..you cant choose a job but you must grab it..start from the very hard level to reach higher level and do not choose position or career first becouse you never know its would be a good career in the future its all depent on individual motivation self level..for me as a graduate in corporate account but thats doesn't mean you have work at the bank or huge financial cooperation but atleast you hv a knowledge in accounting & financial sector..think of the sector itself can be described as super huge think..doing sales..service industry like hotels or F&B or factory's worker this is all about getting out of being jobless..you cant Expect to get high paid or immediate high position or does not need to work on Saturday & sunday..9-5 job..thats all rubbish as you also must realize you are not the one that own master degree or PhD they are million out there own this piece of certificates..focus now only get yr self employ thats the very first thing you need to set in your mind then only you be able to feed yourself

Master degree is just like a High school diploma in China. Even my dogs have MBAs. They are looking for new grads with double PhDs.

Mostly the policies of government lead to this high unemployment among youth.. The property market crash due to Evergrande, the crackdows on tech sector and after school tuition sector lead to demand and supply mismatches across country...

The problem is so many young people just overqualified. Their parents send their kids to study and get high degree but a sector that absorb those people just small. Low basic blue collar job such waitress, factor workers are always available. But OFC those people don't want work as blue collar worker if they have a prestigious degree. It is dilemma.

Part of the problem is everyone wants the good jobs, nobody wants the bad jobs. This is measured on economics, the incentive is baswd on status and wealth- which it has to be if ou want a decent life. We need to stop undervaluing some peoples contributions so much and at least give everyone a shot at a stable, happy life!

I can understand the frustration. Most of these students are probably the first of their family getting a high education and they grew up hearing that a diploma will garantie them a stable financial futur. Actually, it helps a lot. But think this is a tool and not a fast track to success. So this is rhe first milestone for your search of success. As there are so much applicants, you need to think out of the boxe and honestly even if you finally get a corporate position, the conditions are not the best. I will open my own business or be consulting.

Around 20 min of the video I have to agree. Young people want a job where they don't have to work overly hard or show real motivation. I see it with my colleagues. Two of them just lazy around from 8 to 11 before they really start to work. What are they expecting? It's a totally different generation than 20 years ago when I started to work. You had to show that your good then you got the job.

SAME PROBLEM IN INDIA EVEN WE ARE GROWING FAST BUT UNEMPLOYMENT IS ON HIGH HERE TOO

64% enrolled in tertiary studies means a substantial number of them, perhaps half, will be disappointed upon graduation. What is the jobs distribution by education levels in a society?

It's time for the young generation to start learning International Language "ENGLISH" and then start venturing internationally to seek jobs. The good thing about our country's economy even during the height of the pandemic, Call center jobs are still in demand, especially for young graduates.

This is a common situation now, not only in China but all over the world. It's said that when China coughs, the whole world shakes. So, let us pray that China can overcome this shortcomings soon and continue to help other countries as before i.e. HS rail, bridges, tunnel constructions and infrastructures etc. So, stay positive.

I had the same experience 8 or 9 years ago in Canada. Not a single reply after 300++ application within 6 months. So I personally don't think this is a new phenomenon.

Is banding together to form a co-op startup an option? If these graduates have the skills, why not form their own company as co-partners? They'd have to keep a low-overhead and acquire clients (hopefully giving them repeat business), but it could work if everyone is driven and if they have the resources to pull it off.

If in all other countries around the world young people were getting well-paying jobs, this would make sense.

That boy who studied elderly care but refused to work in the care industry is too pampered. Healthcare is an essential service, and the population is ageing. He can definitely secure a job in this industry. With enough experience, many developed countries will hire such staff as well.

Those people just have to accept that too many highly educated people graduate with a BA/MA, there are simply not enough places and they have to apply below your level because you ultimately want/need to earn money, that is realistic.

Ironically, as someone with a PhD. Being a carpenter, master welder, and plumber. Has allowed me to buy a home of my own, at 34. Along with affording me the luxury of traveling twice overseas, to Europe for vacation, all the way from Western Asia. P.S. I’m a millennial, who just turned 35, a mere four days ago, btw. 😅

There are million of graduates come out from uni in China every year. Same as the situation in the west, for most of them it is not easy to get an ideal job within 3 months, except for those outstanding ones. But CNA should not worry about them, they wont get starvation beause of unemployment. Most of them will manage eventually in lesser pay or tougher work environment. Some will return to their parent home for some sort of financial support, or return to village to be part of their homegrown factories in the villages, or start their on small business. In no way they will run out of food and shielder. They will wait for better opportunities to grow themselves for better living standard, all chinese knwon this. After all China is a socialist country and they are rich enough to handle themselve. CNA should focus more in their own social problems in USA, such as more than half a million homeless in the streets, badly run-down infrastructure, high unemployment rate, public security, unffordable public medication service, etc etc

Many of you students need to know is this is common. It took me two years to find a job I really wanted. Hang in there

And, as it happened with the other countries (like the US with the 2008 Recession), it will have a domino effect of fewer employment because fewer people consume since they don't have the money or (even if they have just enough to live through paycheck to paycheck) don't have enough disposable income for other things. And so, less demand in certain sectors, ergo less employment.

They are so well educated that they do not know that their population was designed as cogs in a wheel to represent low waged factory working class. Like a lot of other posters here say, there are not enough managerial jobs to go around. Not to kick their backs in but time to face reality. Someone has to be a waitress, someone has to be a janitor, someone has to be a criminal its just the way the world society is designed to function as a whole.

A degree alone isn’t enough. You have to have certificates, technical skills, internships, etc

Sadly it's a common issue everywhere. Smartest thing you can do these days is just high school and maybe college, then get ANY work right away even if it isn't something you're interested in, and ply that trade with a vengeance for a couple of years, basically like school but you get paid. A couple of years of work experience with good attendance and written testimony of going above and beyond is worth more now than masters super duper bachelor genius degree, you just have to look at those 1-2 years as competitive school but you get paid, boring AF but will get you somewhere. From there you can do courses or university, which, along with actual working experience, will get you into any profession you want.

It's happening all over the world. If you have Government connections you can get job easily.

Its sad for these young people. Have to say, their situation has been experienced in the West too. They must keep trying and keep learning and keeping up with their chosen career.. Even if they have to use their own books, .

Wow, tremendous work! Well done and thanks for the documentary.

The young generation has a though time. I can see it everywhere. Usa, Europe, Asia. Good luck everyone 👍 keep strong

Civil Engineers can be good facilities or grounds engineers in any types of buildings, factories or industries.

For the two guys at the end of the documentary: people won't laugh at you! Many are in a similar position, while others would understand your tough spot right now. I hope you find the right jobs for you!

Their only solutions are either to join the civil service or the military/police, start their own business, work any other job to survive (and abandon their dreams and aspirations forever), or emigrate (the only way they can save their dreams). Those who cannot make it must live with the fact that their dreams will be destroyed forever and this will kill them mentally. I am from Greece, where youth unemployment once hit 60% in 2013, then halved to over 30% where ist remained constant for a decade. Most of my dreams (join the Police, become a Greek Special Forces operator) were shattered by the crisis (spending cuts and negligible hiring). I managed to save whatever was left and emigrated to Germany, where I finally found some peace (even during these turbulous times). Others were lucky in Greece, many emigrated like myself, many however will spend the rest of their lives scraping by without perspectives. I really feel for the Chinese youths going through what I did. It's pure Hell.

When your government is too busy pursuing an irredentist/imperialistic policy the population suffers. The rest of the World also suffering the same or in even worse condition than China. India is also suffering the same situation like China they now have too many workers and not enough jobs more Indian graduates are now moving to the US, UK and Canada for better salaries.

Thank you for speaking for us. It’s fair and objective.

In China, the problem is the mismatch of job seekers expectation and reality. There are millions of jobs unfilled in service and blue collar space but young people don't want those jobs.

The problem comes with the source as well. Need to create more jobs with decent minimum pay I.e more entrepreneurship and support for companies and better labour laws. Unfortunately I don't see that movement in China now. Zero covid policy had shuttered so many businesses.

This youth unemployment problem with "skill mismatch" topping, is what happens when you become too productive and the economic value is snatched by those living in the top and in the city. The rest of the population only work to service these urban elites. As productivity increase, and natural resource stretched thin, it's prudent to reduce population so as not to be a burden. What we see is simply natural kneejerk reaction in progress, with a lot of pain, with final effect of reducing population, which is Earth's response to human over-exploiting of its resource (mainly through over population).

大丈夫能屈能伸，高等教育輔助知識，但不增長隨機應變，處世之道的常識。I am a Thai, 77 years old, so I can’t speak for other countries. In Thailand, the top entrepreneurs mostly do not have university or even high school education. But so many Ph.D. working for them. Most of them started from bottom up, as street vendors, salesmen ………… in my own generation and social circle, in average, my high school (some even didn’t finish) classmates do better than friends going to universities. Please do not get the wrong message that I discourage university education. What we all need is the fighting spirit and wisdom of survival.

I think 21% is actually not bad. The youth here is defined between 16-24 yrs old during the month of June, when the Chinese schools generally end their spring term. Even in Europe or the US, the job opportunities for that age group are very limited - most of them will be working in the very basic service industries- like restaurants, coffee shops and fashion stores etc. Also they need seasonal jobs as in autumn most of them will have to go back to the schools. More meaningful stats will be youth unemployment between 21 and 24 who just left their higher education or vocational trainings, but there is nothing to report. I think someone wants to send out a political message but is very misleading on purpose.