China’s middle-aged jobseekers face age discrimination in unfriendly market as economic, unemployment pressures rise

“This has almost become my fixed daily routine,” said Fan, who occasionally skips breakfast at home to appear to be running late for work.

“I don’t want to make the old people worried. Also, I am afraid that lying at home all day may leave a negative impression on my daughter,” added Fan, who admits she feels a bit shameful for losing the job as most of her relatives are in a good financial situation.

Fan has applied for over 70 positions across various job portals, but has only received offers from companies which did not quite meet her requirements.

Some even rejected her due to her age, saying that they only want people below 35.

“I don’t understand why the job market in China is so unfriendly to the middle-aged,” she added.

“No one told me the detailed reason for being fired, only that the personnel quota was full.

“But I think there is some connection between the large-scale unemployment now and the economic slowdown caused by the pandemic.”

The coronavirus-battered economy over the past three years and the faltering recovery this year have challenged Beijing’s efforts to create enough jobs, which it views as crucial for sustaining growth and social stability.

In China, the middle-age group is faced with the notorious glass ceiling of 35, which poses a challenge to their re-employment. And this year might be even harder.

The private sector, the backbone of the nation’s economy and a major source of employment, is still struggling with slow recovery, and all levels of the government are under pressure to create enough jobs for young people.

Although China’s unemployment rate for the 25 to 59 age group decreased to 4.1 per cent in May, down from 4.2 per cent in April, the jobless rate for the 16-24 age group has gradually climbed since 2020 and hit new highs over the past two months, peaking at 20.8 per cent last month.

A record 11.58 million university graduates also set to leave campus in the middle of the year, posing another challenge to Beijing’s post-coronavirus recovery efforts.

It is estimated that the number of people aged between 35-49 stands at 430 million, nearly half of the working-age population, according to Li Changan, a researcher with the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

“They are facing bigger difficulties in landing jobs after being laid off,” said Li in an article published in the Global Times last week.

“It should also be a focus for the employment policy and social policies”.

Fan, therefore, is not alone. The sight of middle-aged unemployed people flocking to coffee shops has started to trend online in China as they charge their laptops for free and enjoy the air conditioning, but often do not buy a cup of coffee.

The coronavirus has worsened the midlife employment crisis, leading to more older displaced workers seeking re-employment.

From February to September 2020, the number of jobseekers aged 35 and above who submitted resumes on the Zhaopin recruitment platform rose by 14.9 per cent, year-on-year, which was more than twice the growth rate of those under 35.

“I thought things would get better after the pandemic and indeed there are more people going out, taking ride-hailing service,” said 41-year-old Zhao Dejun, who became a full-time driver in Nanjing after the construction company he worked for closed in August 2021.

“However, there are also more unemployed people flooding into this sector, making the competition increasingly fierce.”

But Zhao, who previously worked part-time as a ride-hailing driver before the pandemic, has seen his daily income drop from around 1,200 yuan (US$167) to 1,500 yuan to around 300 yuan to 500 yuan.

A total of 5.4 million ride-hailing driver licenses had been issued nationwide as of April, according to the Ministry of Transport, representing a month-on-month increase of 3.4 per cent from March.

But the number of ride-hailing orders has decreased by 1.4 per cent from March to 706 million in April.

“More and more people want a slice of this cake, but the cake itself is getting even smaller,” added Zhao.

Local governments have already warned about the saturation of the ride-hailing market in cities including Zhuhai and Dongguan in Guangdong province and Jinan in Shandong province.