China: Youngest millennials too old for jobs, booming Gen Z in demand now
China's youngest millennials fall out of age-bracket in job market.
A Chinese automotive services firm's job posting in Sichuan province has made it crystal clear that pervasive ageism is here to stay.The vacancy post to fill a human resources position in a crystal clear and no-nonsense language stated, “The average age of the team should be less than 30 years old."
The presence of pervasive ageism in the job market of China is not new and has never remained hidden. However, recent developments suggest that the situation is becoming even worse. According to studies, many Chinese workplacesstart cutting jobs for employees aged around 35.
However, the recent victims have been the youngest jobseekers in China who are tackling age-related obstacles in their career paths amid tough competition in the ever-flooding labour pool of fresh university graduates.
Yang, a 31-year-old woman living in Shanghai, said that no response has been received by her from more than 100 firms to which she had applied for jobs in the last month. She laments how various companies have explicitly stated that they will only select candidates under the age of 30, and some even have dropped the age bracket to 27.
This is the age bracket of the youngest millennials, which reflects that elder members of Generation Z may struggle to find jobs in China.
Yang added that the companies also demand at least three years of work experience and a postgraduate degree, making it difficult for people to graduate and gain the required experience in the specific age bracket. Job seekers fear growing too old for jobs.
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“This means that I would have had to work in my relevant industry soon after graduation, otherwise I could lose the entry ticket for my career. I’m concerned that the trial-and-error costs in job hunting will rise with age. I was already 27 when I graduated and have worked for only three years. If anything goes wrong, I may forever lose the chance to find my career path, with additional age limits," she added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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