China’s Youths, Stung by Years of Covid Rules, Fear Grim Job Future

Last month, China delayed the national Civil Service exam amid a rise in Covid infections. Civil Service jobs are considered some of the most stable in the country, with the exam tracing back more than 1,400 years. Alice Li, 23, is preparing to take the exam when it is rescheduled. She will be among 2.6 million applications fighting for 37,100 jobs — about 70 applicants for every spot.

The growing demand for government jobs is a testament to how Mr. Xi has reshaped China with an expanded role for the state, forcing businesses to take a back seat to the needs of the Communist Party.

Ms. Li was working at a technology start-up in Shanghai this year when, at the height of the city’s Covid outbreak, her boss informed her that the company was laying off 30 percent of its staff, including her. After losing her marketing job, she started to prepare for the Civil Service exam — an option that she never considered until she felt the sting of losing her job.

“It’s hard enough for us to find a proper job, and harder for us to stay,” Ms. Li said. “I have to believe that the public sectors would be the last ones to fall during the economic crisis.”

China’s labor market has struggled to keep pace with the country’s influx of university students. In the last two decades, the number of college graduates in China has increased sevenfold.

While the number of college graduates has continued to grow — an 8 percent increase set for 2023 — the pandemic has also robbed students of formative social experiences during university life, adding to their frustration and anxiety.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/10/business/china-protests-students-jobs.html