2025: "The Toughest Year for Employment" – Netizens Call for Change

Chinese netizens have dubbed the crowded scene at a spring job fair in Hangzhou "Niú Mǎ Yǒng" (literally "Cattle and Horse Terracotta Warriors") and juxtaposed it with images of Xi’an’s famous Terracotta Army. This meme quickly went viral, resonating with many online. (Screenshot from video)

People News - Premier Li Qiang emphasized the need to stabilize and expand employment in his government work report during the Two Sessions. However, data suggests that 2025 will be the "toughest year for employment," as China’s economic downturn shows no signs of improvement, making it increasingly difficult for young graduates to find jobs—a challenge the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seems unable to resolve.

The ongoing U.S.-China trade war and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic have worsened China’s economic situation, leading to widespread business closures and persistently high unemployment. As a result, many young people have chosen to "lie flat" (躺平), while the general public has resorted to frugal living, reducing consumption. This, in turn, has exacerbated economic stagnation, creating a vicious cycle of decline.

According to China’s Ministry of Education, 11.79 million university graduates entered the job market last year, already making 2024 the "toughest job-hunting season in history." In 2025, this number is expected to rise to 12.22 million, further worsening the employment outlook.

The Chinese government reported that the graduate employment rate in 2023 was 55.7%. However, in August 2024, the CCP stopped releasing youth unemployment data altogether. Independent statistics suggested that the employment rate for university graduates that year was only 55.5%.

The BBC cited data from the Shanghai Finance Bureau indicating that in the first half of 2022 alone, 460,000 companies in China closed, and approximately 3.1 million individual businesses were deregistered. As of September 4, 2024, China had 8.41 million individuals classified as "dishonest executors" (失信被执行人, i.e., people facing court-imposed debt restrictions). This was a sharp increase from 5.7 million at the beginning of 2020—a 68% rise over four years.

These figures indicate that the employment situation will only worsen in 2025.

For example, on March 1, a large-scale offline job fair was held at the Hangzhou Convention and Exhibition Center. With 830 companies offering 21,000 positions, the fair attracted more than 35,000 job seekers in a single day and received 87,940 résumés. Among them, 33,669 were from master's degree holders and 2,750 from PhD graduates. However, only 21,373 applicants received preliminary job offers.

Photos from the event showed massive crowds gathered at every booth. Netizens dubbed the scene "Hangzhou’s Cattle and Horse Terracotta Warriors" and compared it to the densely packed Xi’an Terracotta Army. The sheer density of job seekers at the Hangzhou event exceeded that of the famous ancient statues, striking a chord with many online. However, because the image exposed China’s economic troubles and severe unemployment, authorities quickly censored it.

Many unemployed and job-seeking graduates have turned to gig work, particularly food delivery. It is not uncommon to see graduates from prestigious universities working as restaurant staff, street vendors, or food delivery riders. Others, unable to find work, have resorted to staying home and relying on their parents, becoming "full-time children" (全职儿女).

According to Xinhua News, the number of food delivery riders employed by Meituan grew from 3.99 million in 2019 to 7.45 million in 2023. A 2023 employment report estimated that China had around 84 million workers engaged in "new employment forms" such as ride-hailing drivers, couriers, and food delivery riders.

A student from Peking University posted a video last year lamenting, "Job hunting these past two years has been like hell mode. Even though Peking University’s humanities and social sciences programs are the best in the country, there are still very few companies recruiting."

Videos discussing unemployment and job-hunting struggles resonate deeply with Chinese netizens. Some overseas commenters remarked: "China's unemployment rate doesn’t count rural areas, those without social security, or those without formal contracts. And yet they still report only 5.1%?" "Every year, it gets worse for the working class." "We need a real change—there’s no way out anymore!" "Revolution! Take to the streets! A one-party dictatorship is unsustainable. There must be an opposition party to keep the government in check. That’s how Taiwan rose to where it is today—the people have the power!"