China's college grads despair over worst job market in decades

Youth unemployment hits record levels in COVID-hit economy

20220712 Graduation Ceremony in Wuhan, China - 22 Jun 2022

Chinese university students attend a graduation ceremony in Wuhan. A record 10.76 million college students are expected to enter China's battered job market this year. © AP

CISSY ZHOU, CK TAN, Nikkei staff writers

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI -- With a top university degree in hand, Mia Li had dreams of turning her internship at a Chinese tech company into a permanent job -- until her employer started firing staff.

"Big tech companies used to recruit from colleges in the spring. But every one of them is laying off staff this year," she told Nikkei Asia. "I started to panic and worried that I wouldn't be able to find a job."

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