The Outpost is a comprehensive collection of curated artificial intelligence software tools that cater to the needs of small business owners, bloggers, artists, musicians, entrepreneurs, marketers, writers, and researchers.
© 2025 TheOutpost.AI All rights reserved
Curated by THEOUTPOST
On Mon, 2 Sept, 8:00 AM UTC
4 Sources
[1]
New Unproductive Forces: the Chinese Youth Owning Their Unemployment
BEIJING (Reuters) - After quitting the education industry last August due to China's crackdown on private tutoring, He Ajun has found an unlikely second life as an unemployment influencer. The Guangzhou-based vlogger, 32, offers career advice to her 8,400 followers, charting her journey through long-term joblessness. "Unemployed at 31, not a single thing accomplished," she posted last December. He is now making around 5,000 yuan ($700) per month through ads on her vlogs, content editing, private consultations and selling handicrafts at street stalls. "I think in future freelancing will be normalised," said He. "Even if you stay in the workplace, you'll still need freelancing abilities. I believe it will become a backup skill, like driving." China is under instruction to unleash "new productive forces", with government policies targeting narrow areas of science and technology including AI and robotics. But critics say that has meant weak demand in other sectors and risks leaving behind a generation of highly educated young people, who missed the last boom and graduated too late to retrain for emerging industries. A record 11.79 million university graduates this year face unprecedented job scarcity amid widespread layoffs in white-collar sectors including finance, while Tesla, IBM and ByteDance have also cut jobs in recent months. Urban youth unemployment for the roughly 100 million Chinese aged 16-24 spiked to 17.1% in July, a figure analysts say masks millions of rural unemployed. China suspended releasing youth jobless data after it reached an all-time high of 21.3% in June 2023, later tweaking criteria to exclude current students. Over 200 million people are currently working in the gig economy and even that once fast-growing sector has its own overcapacity issues. A dozen Chinese cities have warned of ride-hailing oversaturation this year. Redundancies have even spread to government work, long considered an "iron rice bowl" of lifetime employment. Last year Beijing announced a 5% headcount reduction and thousands have been laid off since, according to official announcements and news reports. Henan province trimmed 5,600 jobs earlier this year, while Shandong province has cut nearly 10,000 positions since 2022. Meanwhile, analysts say China's 3.9 million vocational college graduates are mostly equipped for low-end manufacturing and service jobs, and reforms announced in 2022 will take years to fix underinvestment in training long regarded as inferior to universities. China currently faces a shortage of welders, joiners, elderly caregivers and "highly-skilled digital talent", its human resources minister said in March. Yao Lu, a sociologist at Columbia University, estimates about 25% of college graduates aged 23-35 are currently in jobs below their academic qualifications. Many of China's nearly 48 million university students are likely to have poor starting salaries and contribute relatively little in taxes throughout their lifetimes, said one Chinese economist who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Although they cannot be called a 'lost generation', it is a huge waste of human capital," the person said. 'DOING THREE PEOPLE'S JOBS' Chinese President Xi Jinping in May urged officials to make job creation for new graduates a top priority. But for younger workers unemployed or recently fired, the mood is bleak, nine people interviewed by Reuters said. Anna Wang, 23, quit her state bank job in Shenzhen this year due to high pressure and frequent unpaid overtime. For a salary of about 6,000 yuan per month, "I was doing three people's jobs," she said. Her ex-colleagues complain about widespread pay cuts and transfers to positions with unmanageable workloads, effectively forcing them to resign. Wang now works part-time jobs as a CV editor and mystery shopper. At a July briefing for foreign diplomats about an agenda-setting economic meeting, policymakers said they have been quietly urging companies to stop layoffs, one attendee told Reuters. Olivia Lin, 30, left the civil service in July after widespread bonus cuts and bosses hinted at further redundancies. Four district-level bureaus were dissolved in her city of Shenzhen this year, according to public announcements. "The general impression was that the current environment isn't good and fiscal pressure is really high," she said. Lin now wants a tech job. She has had no interview offers after a month of searching. "This is completely different from 2021, when I was guaranteed one job interview a day," she said. REDUCED STIGMA Shut out of the job market and desperate for an outlet, young Chinese are sharing tips for surviving long-term unemployment. The hashtags "unemployed", "unemployment diary" and "laid off" received a combined 2.1 billion views on the Xiaohongshu platform He uses. Users describe mundane daily routines, count down the days since being fired, share awkward chat exchanges with managers or dole out advice, sometimes accompanied by crying selfies. The increasing visibility of jobless young people "increases broader social acceptance and reduces stigma surrounding unemployment", said Columbia's Lu, allowing otherwise isolated youth to connect and "perhaps even redefine what it means to be unemployed in today's economic climate". Lu said unemployed graduates understood blaming the government for their plight would be both risky and ineffective. Rather, she said, they were more likely to slip into "an internalisation of discontent and blame" or "lying flat". He, the influencer, thinks graduates should lower their ambitions. "If we have indeed entered 'garbage time', then I think young people could accumulate skills or do something creative, such as selling things via social media or making handicrafts." (Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Lincoln Feast.)
[2]
New unproductive forces: the Chinese youth owning their unemployment
BEIJING (Reuters) - After quitting the education industry last August due to China's crackdown on private tutoring, He Ajun has found an unlikely second life as an unemployment influencer. The Guangzhou-based vlogger, 32, offers career advice to her 8,400 followers, charting her journey through long-term joblessness. "Unemployed at 31, not a single thing accomplished," she posted last December. He is now making around 5,000 yuan ($700) per month through ads on her vlogs, content editing, private consultations and selling handicrafts at street stalls. "I think in future freelancing will be normalised," said He. "Even if you stay in the workplace, you'll still need freelancing abilities. I believe it will become a backup skill, like driving." China is under instruction to unleash "new productive forces", with government policies targeting narrow areas of science and technology including AI and robotics. But critics say that has meant weak demand in other sectors and risks leaving behind a generation of highly educated young people, who missed the last boom and graduated too late to retrain for emerging industries. A record 11.79 million university graduates this year face unprecedented job scarcity amid widespread layoffs in white-collar sectors including finance, while Tesla, IBM and ByteDance have also cut jobs in recent months. Urban youth unemployment for the roughly 100 million Chinese aged 16-24 spiked to 17.1% in July, a figure analysts say masks millions of rural unemployed. China suspended releasing youth jobless data after it reached an all-time high of 21.3% in June 2023, later tweaking criteria to exclude current students. Over 200 million people are currently working in the gig economy and even that once fast-growing sector has its own overcapacity issues. A dozen Chinese cities have warned of ride-hailing oversaturation this year. Redundancies have even spread to government work, long considered an "iron rice bowl" of lifetime employment. Last year Beijing announced a 5% headcount reduction and thousands have been laid off since, according to official announcements and news reports. Henan province trimmed 5,600 jobs earlier this year, while Shandong province has cut nearly 10,000 positions since 2022. Meanwhile, analysts say China's 3.9 million vocational college graduates are mostly equipped for low-end manufacturing and service jobs, and reforms announced in 2022 will take years to fix underinvestment in training long regarded as inferior to universities. China currently faces a shortage of welders, joiners, elderly caregivers and "highly-skilled digital talent", its human resources minister said in March. Yao Lu, a sociologist at Columbia University, estimates about 25% of college graduates aged 23-35 are currently in jobs below their academic qualifications. Many of China's nearly 48 million university students are likely to have poor starting salaries and contribute relatively little in taxes throughout their lifetimes, said one Chinese economist who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Although they cannot be called a 'lost generation', it is a huge waste of human capital," the person said. 'DOING THREE PEOPLE'S JOBS' Chinese President Xi Jinping in May urged officials to make job creation for new graduates a top priority. But for younger workers unemployed or recently fired, the mood is bleak, nine people interviewed by Reuters said. Anna Wang, 23, quit her state bank job in Shenzhen this year due to high pressure and frequent unpaid overtime. For a salary of about 6,000 yuan per month, "I was doing three people's jobs," she said. Her ex-colleagues complain about widespread pay cuts and transfers to positions with unmanageable workloads, effectively forcing them to resign. Wang now works part-time jobs as a CV editor and mystery shopper. At a July briefing for foreign diplomats about an agenda-setting economic meeting, policymakers said they have been quietly urging companies to stop layoffs, one attendee told Reuters. Olivia Lin, 30, left the civil service in July after widespread bonus cuts and bosses hinted at further redundancies. Four district-level bureaus were dissolved in her city of Shenzhen this year, according to public announcements. "The general impression was that the current environment isn't good and fiscal pressure is really high," she said. Lin now wants a tech job. She has had no interview offers after a month of searching. "This is completely different from 2021, when I was guaranteed one job interview a day," she said. REDUCED STIGMA Shut out of the job market and desperate for an outlet, young Chinese are sharing tips for surviving long-term unemployment. The hashtags "unemployed", "unemployment diary" and "laid off" received a combined 2.1 billion views on the Xiaohongshu platform He uses. Users describe mundane daily routines, count down the days since being fired, share awkward chat exchanges with managers or dole out advice, sometimes accompanied by crying selfies. The increasing visibility of jobless young people "increases broader social acceptance and reduces stigma surrounding unemployment", said Columbia's Lu, allowing otherwise isolated youth to connect and "perhaps even redefine what it means to be unemployed in today's economic climate". Lu said unemployed graduates understood blaming the government for their plight would be both risky and ineffective. Rather, she said, they were more likely to slip into "an internalisation of discontent and blame" or "lying flat". He, the influencer, thinks graduates should lower their ambitions. "If we have indeed entered 'garbage time', then I think young people could accumulate skills or do something creative, such as selling things via social media or making handicrafts." (Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Lincoln Feast.)
[3]
New unproductive forces: the Chinese youth owning their unemployment
He is now making around 5,000 yuan ($700) per month through ads on her vlogs, content editing, private consultations and selling handicrafts at street stalls. "I think in future freelancing will be normalised," said He. "Even if you stay in the workplace, you'll still need freelancing abilities. I believe it will become a backup skill, like driving." China is under instruction to unleash "new productive forces", with government policies targeting narrow areas of science and technology including AI and robotics. But critics say that has meant weak demand in other sectors and risks leaving behind a generation of highly educated young people, who missed the last boom and graduated too late to retrain for emerging industries. A record 11.79 million university graduates this year face unprecedented job scarcity amid widespread layoffs in white-collar sectors including finance, while Tesla, IBM and ByteDance have also cut jobs in recent months. Urban youth unemployment for the roughly 100 million Chinese aged 16-24 spiked to 17.1% in July, a figure analysts say masks millions of rural unemployed. China suspended releasing youth jobless data after it reached an all-time high of 21.3% in June 2023, later tweaking criteria to exclude current students. Over 200 million people are currently working in the gig economy and even that once fast-growing sector has its own overcapacity issues. A dozen Chinese cities have warned of ride-hailing oversaturation this year. Redundancies have even spread to government work, long considered an "iron rice bowl" of lifetime employment. Last year Beijing announced a 5% headcount reduction and thousands have been laid off since, according to official announcements and news reports. Henan province trimmed 5,600 jobs earlier this year, while Shandong province has cut nearly 10,000 positions since 2022. Meanwhile, analysts say China's 3.9 million vocational college graduates are mostly equipped for low-end manufacturing and service jobs, and reforms announced in 2022 will take years to fix underinvestment in training long regarded as inferior to universities. China currently faces a shortage of welders, joiners, elderly caregivers and "highly-skilled digital talent", its human resources minister said in March. Yao Lu, a sociologist at Columbia University, estimates about 25% of college graduates aged 23-35 are currently in jobs below their academic qualifications. Many of China's nearly 48 million university students are likely to have poor starting salaries and contribute relatively little in taxes throughout their lifetimes, said one Chinese economist who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Although they cannot be called a 'lost generation', it is a huge waste of human capital," the person said. Chinese President Xi Jinping in May urged officials to make job creation for new graduates a top priority. But for younger workers unemployed or recently fired, the mood is bleak, nine people interviewed by Reuters said. Anna Wang, 23, quit her state bank job in Shenzhen this year due to high pressure and frequent unpaid overtime. For a salary of about 6,000 yuan per month, "I was doing three people's jobs," she said. Her ex-colleagues complain about widespread pay cuts and transfers to positions with unmanageable workloads, effectively forcing them to resign. Wang now works part-time jobs as a CV editor and mystery shopper. At a July briefing for foreign diplomats about an agenda-setting economic meeting, policymakers said they have been quietly urging companies to stop layoffs, one attendee told Reuters. Olivia Lin, 30, left the civil service in July after widespread bonus cuts and bosses hinted at further redundancies. Four district-level bureaus were dissolved in her city of Shenzhen this year, according to public announcements. "The general impression was that the current environment isn't good and fiscal pressure is really high," she said. Lin now wants a tech job. She has had no interview offers after a month of searching. "This is completely different from 2021, when I was guaranteed one job interview a day," she said. Shut out of the job market and desperate for an outlet, young Chinese are sharing tips for surviving long-term unemployment. The hashtags "unemployed", "unemployment diary" and "laid off" received a combined 2.1 billion views on the Xiaohongshu platform He uses. Users describe mundane daily routines, count down the days since being fired, share awkward chat exchanges with managers or dole out advice, sometimes accompanied by crying selfies. The increasing visibility of jobless young people "increases broader social acceptance and reduces stigma surrounding unemployment", said Columbia's Lu, allowing otherwise isolated youth to connect and "perhaps even redefine what it means to be unemployed in today's economic climate". Lu said unemployed graduates understood blaming the government for their plight would be both risky and ineffective. Rather, she said, they were more likely to slip into "an internalisation of discontent and blame" or "lying flat". He, the influencer, thinks graduates should lower their ambitions. "If we have indeed entered 'garbage time', then I think young people could accumulate skills or do something creative, such as selling things via social media or making handicrafts." (Reporting by Laurie Chen; Editing by Kevin Krolicki and Lincoln Feast.)
[4]
New unproductive forces: Chinese youth owning their unemployment
Job seekers crowd a job fair at Liberation Square in Shijiazhuang, Hebei province, China, Feb. 25, 2018. Reuters-Yonhap After quitting the education industry last August due to China's crackdown on private tutoring, He Ajun has found an unlikely second life as an unemployment influencer. The Guangzhou-based vlogger, 32, offers career advice to her 8,400 followers, charting her journey through long-term joblessness. "Unemployed at 31, not a single thing accomplished," she posted last December. He is now making around 5,000 yuan ($700) per month through ads on her vlogs, content editing, private consultations and selling handicrafts at street stalls. "I think in future freelancing will be normalised," said He. "Even if you stay in the workplace, you'll still need freelancing abilities. I believe it will become a backup skill, like driving." China is under instruction to unleash "new productive forces," with government policies targeting narrow areas of science and technology including AI and robotics. But critics say that has meant weak demand in other sectors and risks leaving behind a generation of highly educated young people, who missed the last boom and graduated too late to retrain for emerging industries. A record 11.79 million university graduates this year face unprecedented job scarcity amid widespread layoffs in white-collar sectors including finance, while Tesla, IBM and ByteDance have also cut jobs in recent months. Urban youth unemployment for the roughly 100 million Chinese aged 16-24 spiked to 17.1 percent in July, a figure analysts say masks millions of rural unemployed. China suspended releasing youth jobless data after it reached an all-time high of 21.3 percent in June 2023, later tweaking criteria to exclude current students. Over 200 million people are currently working in the gig economy and even that once fast-growing sector has its own overcapacity issues. A dozen Chinese cities have warned of ride-hailing oversaturation this year. Redundancies have even spread to government work, long considered an "iron rice bowl" of lifetime employment. Last year Beijing announced a 5 percent headcount reduction and thousands have been laid off since, according to official announcements and news reports. Henan province trimmed 5,600 jobs earlier this year, while Shandong province has cut nearly 10,000 positions since 2022. Meanwhile, analysts say China's 3.9 million vocational college graduates are mostly equipped for low-end manufacturing and service jobs, and reforms announced in 2022 will take years to fix underinvestment in training long regarded as inferior to universities. China currently faces a shortage of welders, joiners, elderly caregivers and "highly-skilled digital talent", its human resources minister said in March. Yao Lu, a sociologist at Columbia University, estimates about 25 percent of college graduates aged 23-35 are currently in jobs below their academic qualifications. Many of China's nearly 48 million university students are likely to have poor starting salaries and contribute relatively little in taxes throughout their lifetimes, said one Chinese economist who asked not to be named because of the sensitivity of the issue. "Although they cannot be called a 'lost generation', it is a huge waste of human capital," the person said. People attend a job fair in Beijing. Millions of graduates are entering China's job market at a time of soaring youth unemployment, in this Aug. 19, 2023. AFP-Yonhap 'Doing three people's jobs' Chinese President Xi Jinping in May urged officials to make job creation for new graduates a top priority. But for younger workers unemployed or recently fired, the mood is bleak, nine people interviewed by Reuters said. Anna Wang, 23, quit her state bank job in Shenzhen this year due to high pressure and frequent unpaid overtime. For a salary of about 6,000 yuan per month, "I was doing three people's jobs," she said. Her ex-colleagues complain about widespread pay cuts and transfers to positions with unmanageable workloads, effectively forcing them to resign. Wang now works part-time jobs as a CV editor and mystery shopper. At a July briefing for foreign diplomats about an agenda-setting economic meeting, policymakers said they have been quietly urging companies to stop layoffs, one attendee told Reuters. Olivia Lin, 30, left the civil service in July after widespread bonus cuts and bosses hinted at further redundancies. Four district-level bureaus were dissolved in her city of Shenzhen this year, according to public announcements. "The general impression was that the current environment isn't good and fiscal pressure is really high," she said. Lin now wants a tech job. She has had no interview offers after a month of searching. "This is completely different from 2021, when I was guaranteed one job interview a day," she said. Reduced stigma Shut out of the job market and desperate for an outlet, young Chinese are sharing tips for surviving long-term unemployment. The hashtags "unemployed," "unemployment diary" and "laid off" received a combined 2.1 billion views on the Xiaohongshu platform He uses. Users describe mundane daily routines, count down the days since being fired, share awkward chat exchanges with managers or dole out advice, sometimes accompanied by crying selfies. The increasing visibility of jobless young people "increases broader social acceptance and reduces stigma surrounding unemployment," said Columbia's Lu, allowing otherwise isolated youth to connect and "perhaps even redefine what it means to be unemployed in today's economic climate." Lu said unemployed graduates understood blaming the government for their plight would be both risky and ineffective. Rather, she said, they were more likely to slip into "an internalisation of discontent and blame" or "lying flat." He, the influencer, thinks graduates should lower their ambitions. "If we have indeed entered 'garbage time', then I think young people could accumulate skills or do something creative, such as selling things via social media or making handicrafts." (Reuters)
Share
Share
Copy Link
Chinese youth are adopting the term "unproductive forces" to describe their unemployment status, challenging societal expectations and government narratives. This trend reflects growing discontent with economic pressures and limited job opportunities in China.
In a surprising turn of events, Chinese youth have begun embracing the term "unproductive forces" to describe their unemployment status. This trend, which has gained traction on social media platforms, represents a significant shift in how young people in China view their role in society and the economy 1.
The term "unproductive forces" was initially used by Chinese President Xi Jinping to criticize those who hinder economic development. However, young people have reclaimed it as a badge of honor, using it to express their frustration with the current job market and societal pressures 2.
The adoption of this term comes amid rising unemployment rates among China's youth. Official statistics show that youth unemployment in urban areas reached a record high of 21.3% in June 2023 3. This figure is particularly concerning given China's slowing economic growth and the increasing competition for jobs.
Many young Chinese are finding it difficult to secure employment that matches their qualifications or expectations. The mismatch between education and available job opportunities has led to a sense of disillusionment among recent graduates and young professionals.
The "unproductive forces" movement has gained significant traction on Chinese social media platforms. Young people are sharing memes, videos, and personal stories that humorously embrace their unemployment status. This online phenomenon has created a sense of community among those struggling to find work 4.
The movement also reflects a broader cultural shift in China, where young people are increasingly questioning traditional notions of success and the intense pressure to constantly be productive. By owning their unemployment, they are challenging societal expectations and government narratives about economic progress.
The Chinese government has taken notice of this trend and has attempted to censor discussions about "unproductive forces" on social media platforms. Authorities are concerned that the movement could undermine official efforts to promote economic growth and social stability 1.
Despite these efforts, the term continues to circulate widely, demonstrating the resilience of online communities and the difficulty of controlling narratives in the digital age.
The "unproductive forces" phenomenon raises important questions about the future of China's workforce and economy. As more young people embrace this identity, it could potentially impact productivity and innovation in the long term. However, it also presents an opportunity for policymakers to address the underlying issues causing youth unemployment and dissatisfaction 2.
As this trend continues to evolve, it will be crucial to monitor its impact on China's social fabric, economic policies, and the attitudes of future generations towards work and success.
Reference
[1]
[2]
[4]
China's soaring youth unemployment has led to the emergence of a new working class dubbed 'rotten tail kids'. These young people, facing limited job prospects, are turning to manual labor and gig work, challenging traditional career expectations.
4 Sources
4 Sources
China's education ministry urges universities to incorporate AI and vocational training to address high youth unemployment and prepare a record number of graduates for the job market.
2 Sources
2 Sources
Chinese tech firms are exploring opportunities in Silicon Valley, facing both challenges and potential for growth. This shift comes as they navigate geopolitical tensions and seek to expand their global presence.
2 Sources
2 Sources
The Economic Survey 2023-24 highlights India's employment situation, revealing both progress and challenges in the job market. The report emphasizes the need for skill development to address unemployment among graduates.
2 Sources
2 Sources
Chinese President Xi Jinping meets with top tech entrepreneurs, signaling a shift in approach to the private sector and emphasizing AI development amid economic challenges and US tech rivalry.
8 Sources
8 Sources
