Young China's Struggle
Youth unemployment in China is skyrocketing, reaching record-breaking levels of 21% and higher. Once-promising futures are dwindling, prompting many young adults to return to their parents' homes, leading to an alarming trend of becoming "full-time children."
The shift is a result of the challenging job market and lengthy work hours, which take a toll on young Chinese individuals. Their work-life balance is severely imbalanced, with long hours being the norm, from nine a.m. to nine p.m., six days per week.
The title of "full-time child" comes with a unique twist, as these young adults contribute to their families by handling chores like grocery shopping, cooking, cleaning, and transporting their parents to appointments. In return, they receive a monthly wage-equivalent income from their "employers," which some find to be more lucrative than city salaries.
The Rise of "Full-Time Children"
On Chinese social media, the hashtags #FullTimeDaughter and #FullTimeSon have gone viral in recent months, reflecting the growing anxiety surrounding youth unemployment and the unexpected solution many are turning to.
The Self-Sacrificing Chinese Workforce
China's willingness to push back their personal lives in the name of their careers has contributed to the nation's rapid economic growth, according to Xiang Biao, the Director of the Max Planck Institute for Social Anthropology. Xiang explains in the "Wieder was gelernt" podcast that the people's self-denial was a driving factor behind China's swift expansion.
The self-sacrificing mentality has been passed down for generations, with parents instilling hard work and academic success in their children to secure a better future.
However, the youth unemployment problem is a familiar one, as Portugal, Italy, Sweden, Greece, and Spain have also struggled with high unemployment rates among young people for years.
Overproduction and Underemployment
A significant challenge facing China is the imbalance between the surging number of graduates and the diminishing number of available jobs. Coupled with the ongoing effects of the coronavirus pandemic, the economy is recovering at a slower pace than anticipated.
The pandemic has placed extreme strain on young people, as the government's zero-corona policy has had a disastrous impact on the economy for three years. Consequently, many young people are grappling with a profound sense of existential disillusionment.
Meritocracy Fading Away
Young Chinese people are abandoning the meritocracy their parents cherished, with "tangping," or "lying flat," becoming a common trend. This mentality encourages individuals to work less or not at all, with some choosing to become "full-time children" as the new normal.
The Impact on Household Incomes and Consumption
The decision to become a "full-time child" has wide-reaching consequences, impacting household incomes and consumption. Lu Xi, a professor of economics at the National University of Singapore, highlights this vicious circle, asserting that with fewer individuals working, consumption decreases, leading to less job availability, a rise in unemployment, and more "full-time children."
The Demographic Crisis
The trend of young people avoiding commitment to marriage and families amplifies China's ongoing demographic crisis.
A Path to the Countryside
In an attempt to offset the high unemployment rates, the Chinese government has resorted to a familiar solution from the Party's history: sending young people to the countryside. Xi Jinping recently encouraged university graduates to take up work in rural areas. The government hopes this measure will provide employment opportunities for urban unemployed youth and modernize outdated villages, potentially stimulating economic growth in the rural areas.
Sending Students to the Countryside
The provincial government of Guangdong aims to recruit 200,000 young people to the countryside by 2025. Though the initiative has garnered interest, only 10,000 individuals have agreed to participate so far. They are offered monthly salaries of around 300 dollars, a considerable sum less than what is available in cities.
The government offers students the opportunity to work in various roles, from cleaning up villages to working with farmers, depending on the province. Some may view the program as a stepping stone to pursue positions in the civil service, which may not be lucrative by city standards but guarantees employment security.
The Challenges Facing Rural-Urban Migration
Despite the incentives, most young Chinese people prefer to remain in urban areas, taking on jobs with low pay and challenging working conditions rather than being forced to settle in remote villages.
Furthermore, the opportunity to gain experience and trial new ways of life as sustainable alternatives to the high-pressure urban environment has led some young people to attempt to start new lives in the countryside.
Conclusion
China's economic downturn is having a profound impact on its young, educated workforce, resulting in historically high unemployment levels and a subsequent shift to "full-time children" living at home with their parents. The government has taken notice and has begun employing strategies such as sending young people to rural areas in an effort to stem the tide of youth unemployment and stimulate the economy. However, challenges remain in shaping a path forward, and the long-term implications of these strategies remain to be seen.
