Being flexible a way for youth to beat job market
Millions work for themselves or in gigs as traditional employment dries up
The pressure from career counsellors at her Hebei province university in the mainland’s north became too much for Kayla Liu to bear – she had to find employment, no matter what.
So the 21-year-old English major, unable to secure a full-time job after months of searching, opted to become an entrepreneur – selling handmade beaded bracelets on e-commerce site Taobao.
Liu said staff from her university had been coercing graduates-to-be to sign “flexible employment” contracts – a directive she suspected was aimed at reducing the unemployment rate of fresh graduates so it did not reflect poorly on her school.
“It feels like our university is pushing those who cannot get into graduate school or find a job to apply for flexible employment and to get proof of employment. They will do anything to boost their employment rate. It’s like we aren’t allowed to be unemployed upon graduation,” she said.
“This adds to the psychological pressure on fresh graduates who are already struggling to find a job in this grim job market.”
The unemployment rate among 16- to 24-year-olds in China hit a record high of 20.4 per cent in April, rising from 19.6 per cent in March. And more than 11 million fresh graduates are expected to join the labour market this summer.
Liu’s online shop, which brings in around 300 yuan (HK$333) a week, makes enough to sustain her daily expenses while she hunts for a full-time job.
And her situation is far from unique. Many students say they are pressured by their schools to secure employment before graduation – a phenomenon that Chinese media brought to light during the 2022 graduation season.
Last June, Caixin reported that students from graduating classes had been told that they would not receive their graduation certificates if they did not submit proof of employment.
China’s Ministry of Education responded by warning tertiary institutes against misreporting employment figures, and vowing to investigate any reports accordingly.
The ministry said schools were not allowed to force or entice students to sign employment or labour contracts, could not withhold graduation certificates as a means to coerce students to sign employment contracts, and could not make students sign false proofs of employment.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, China had 200 million “flexible workers” by the end of 2021, nearly three times more than in 2020.
More than 16 per cent of all college graduates in China in 2020 and 2021 chose flexible employment, according to data from the China Higher Education Student Information and Career Centre.
Those who are flexibly employed are not bound by formal employment contracts and include those working part-time and temporary and seasonal jobs as well as freelancers and entrepreneurs.
With the growth of the gig and digital economy, flexible workers in China are finding employment in a range of sectors, including food delivery, street vending, live-streaming and social media content creation.
Local governments across the country in recent weeks have also bumped up their support for the flexibly employed, with Hubei, Shandong, Zhejiang and Guangdong provinces setting up mobile stations to help jobseekers find such work.
With the massive youth jobless crisis, flexible employment appears to be one solution.
“It feels like everyone is fighting for the same few positions,” said Chelsea Li, a human resources major from Chengdu.
The 22-year-old has decided to start her own street-vending business selling cupcakes and desserts. By making around 60 portions at a rented kitchen in the morning, she is able to earn about 500 yuan every day.
“Frankly, this is the happiest I’ve been since graduating, it gives me a sense of satisfaction. Job hunting and sending in resumes is an exhausting process,” she said.
For some of China’s young people, the option of flexible employment coupled with digitalisation and the rise of new media means they are no longer sticking to traditional notions of work.
Leon Liu, a 26-year-old architecture graduate, said that with flexible employment he could afford to spend half his year travelling while working completely remotely.
Liu, who is fluent in English, French and German, teaches languages online and started a business coordinating cultural exchanges between students from China and the Middle East. He is also a freelance consultant in engineering and architecture.
“Working online and being my own boss has given me so much joy, and what I earn is enough to sustain my travels,” he said.
“I get to choose whom I work with, what projects to work on, and can do things that are truly meaningful to me, like interacting with people from different cultures.”