Young and willingly Unemployed
The majority of the tens of thousands of young people who remain at home do so because, in their own words, they “simply cannot find work.” On social media, the phrase “full-time daughters and sons” has begun to trend. Unemployment in the 16–24 age group has hit an all-time high of 21.3%.
However, the official statistics may be inaccurate. Almost half of young Chinese are really unemployed, according to Zhang Dandan, an assistant professor at Peking University. For CNN, he claims that if the 16 million people who are not even seeking jobs and have opted to “stay down” are included, the true figures in March 2023 might have reached 46.5 percent of the young. “The Chinese economy’s challenging state causes teen and young unemployment. Domestic consumption is weak and slowing, and the private sector has suffered as well. In recent months, the real estate market has been struggling,” Dandan explains.
Jobs that One “cannot handle”
Li Litsky, 21, is one of the children who is not hurrying to work. She resigned her job and has spent most of her time since then at home, primarily doing housekeeping and shopping. She also looks after her grandmother, who is ill. Her parents pay her 6,000 yuan (about 750 euros) every month. In her location, this is considered a typical middle-class wage.
For CNN, she defends her retirement from the labour force by citing the immense strain in her profession, which she “can’t handle.” She did not apply to universities after graduating from high school for the same reason.
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As a matter of fact, most “full-time daughters and sons” are young adults. Their generation is distinct from those that came before it, so they say, and they have no desire to “beat the old ones” by taking advantage of them. Since they can’t afford to move out on their own with monthly wages of between 500 and 800 euros, they’ve chosen to remain in their parents’ homes. Adult offspring in the workforce said they still spend time with their families and pitch in with chores. Trends involving “professional children” hint at a deeper problem. Although China’s economy started the year well, it has since slowed. Parents were formerly strong and predatory, but economic development has helped them provide for their families.
