Queues stretch hundreds of metres around temples in China on weekends, as despondent young worshippers pray to find jobs in an economy slowly clawing its way back from the coronavirus pandemic.
“I hope to find some peace in temples,” said 22-year-oldWang Xiaoning, pointing to “the pressure of finding a job” and housing costs that are out of reach.
Wang is among a record 11.58 million university graduates who face a job market still reeling from last year’s stringent “zero-COVID” lockdowns as well as crackdowns on the technology and education sectors, key traditional hirers.
Temple visits are up 310% so far this year compared to 2022,travel booking platform Trip.com said. While it did not give overall numbers or pre-pandemic comparisons, it said roughly half the visitors were born after 1990.
“The threshold for employment keeps rising,” said Chen, a19-year-old who was praying for her career prospects at the iconic Lama Temple in the capital, Beijing, despite being years away from graduation.
“The pressure is overwhelming,” added Chen, who gave only her surname for privacy reasons.
The fifth of young Chinese without jobs among a highly-educated generation is a record. Improving their prospects is a major headache for authorities, who want the economy to create 12 million new jobs in 2023, up from last year’s 11 million.
“There is a serious oversupply of university graduates and their priority is survival,” said Zhang Qidi, a researcher at the Center for International Finance Studies, who added that many had resorted to ride-sharing or delivery jobs.
The economy has been recovering since COVID-19 curbs were lifted in December, but the hiring is being led by the pandemic-battered catering and travel industries, which offer poor wages for low-skilled roles.
China’s education and human resource ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The number of master’s and Ph.D graduates in Beijing exceeds undergraduates for the first time, education authorities said.
