China's unemployment problem has set off a wave of "crying" on social platforms. On platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu, topics related to "unemployment" continue to emerge, and many users share their unemployment experiences. Some lament the hardship of life, and some complain about the unfair workplace environment. For many Chinese, the pressure brought by unemployment has become a part of life, and this anxiety also reflects the severity of China's current economic situation.

Young people face workplace reality: "no sense of stability"

As China's economic growth slows, more and more young people share their unemployment experiences on social media. Recently, a woman who had just been laid off posted a video on Douyin, telling about her helplessness after losing her job: "I only found out today after completing the resignation procedures that the layoffs would be so sudden." The woman said that unemployment has brought a great impact on her life, and the monthly mortgage and family expenses have doubled her pressure.

Similar experiences are not uncommon in China's Internet companies. In 2024, large technology companies such as Alibaba and Tencent implemented large-scale layoffs. Alibaba laid off more than 20,000 people in the first half of the year, and Tencent has cut 10% of its employees since 2022. The downturn in the Internet market has forced many companies to adopt the strategy of "laying off employees every three months". Even in big cities like Beijing and Shanghai, many young people who have worked hard for a long time are forced to face unemployment.

An Internet practitioner admitted that since the epidemic, it has become extremely difficult to find a job: "I have been drifting in Beijing for five years. I have no house or car for five years. Although I thought I was stable, I didn't expect to be laid off at this time. Seeing my colleagues around me being laid off one after another, I feel that the future is very uncertain."

Age discrimination in the workplace: the dilemma of middle-aged job seekers

Not only young people, but also middle-aged job seekers over 35 years old have encountered many obstacles in the market. According to reports, many companies explicitly refuse to recruit employees over 35 years old, which puts many people in an awkward situation. 50-year-old Wang Haihong has worked in Shanghai for many years. He thought he could smoothly get through the mid-life crisis, but the reality of layoffs in the company broke his career plan. Wang Haihong said: "At this age, it is difficult to find a new job, and the uncertainty of the future makes people uneasy."

On social platforms, many people publicly expressed their helplessness about the "35-year-old workplace ceiling". Some middle-aged job seekers, despite their rich work experience and technical accumulation, are repeatedly rejected due to their age and have difficulty in obtaining fair employment opportunities. This age discrimination problem has exacerbated the economic difficulties of many families and made the competition among middle-aged people in the workplace more intense.

"Pretending to work" to maintain respectability: the helpless choice of young unemployed people

Faced with the sudden pressure of unemployment, some young people choose to maintain the illusion of "working" in front of their family and friends. Many unemployed people go to Starbucks or the library every day to "pretend to work" to avoid being noticed by their families. A young man who graduated from Wuhan University said in a WeChat video: "I have been unemployed for more than four months, and I still get up early every day to go to the library, just because I don't want my family to worry."

This phenomenon of "pretending to work" is not uncommon in some big cities. In libraries or cafes, many people use this method to cover up their unemployment status in order to maintain a normal rhythm of life and a sense of psychological stability. Online comments call these young people who "pretend to work" "new types of vagrants" - they rely on savings and a small number of part-time jobs to make a living, and while waiting for suitable job opportunities, they try to maintain the "respectability" of their social identity.

Economic difficulties behind unemployment: Declining willingness of enterprises to invest

Many analysts point out that China's unemployment problem has not yet reached its worst moment. Cai Shenkun, a senior financial commentator, said that the large number of unemployment discussions on platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, and Xiaohongshu truly reflects the current social situation. Cai Shenkun believes that the unemployment problem is not only due to the slowdown in economic growth, but also involves the fundamental problem of the decline in investment willingness of private enterprises. He believes: "In today's economic environment, it is difficult to effectively stimulate the economy by relying solely on government funds. Enterprises lack investment confidence and are unwilling to expand their scale, which has also brought an impact on the overall employment market."

Cai Shenkun believes that in the absence of new growth points, the uncertainty of the economic outlook has increased, which has not only reduced the willingness of enterprises to invest, but also aggravated the anxiety of job seekers. Some private enterprises have chosen to lay off employees against the backdrop of a deteriorating business environment. This situation may be difficult to alleviate in the short term, and people's confidence in the future is also declining.

Finding new opportunities and directions

In this severe employment situation, more and more job seekers are trying to adjust their mindsets and find new opportunities. For young people, the market environment in the short term may not be optimistic, but they can try to improve their skills and expand their career directions to cope with possible market changes in the future. Middle-aged job seekers need to reposition themselves, try new industries or positions, and break the limitations of age.

In the face of a complex employment situation, job seekers' self-adjustment and the government's support policies are crucial. The "unemployment complaints" on Chinese social platforms are not only the voice of individuals, but also a microcosm of the current economic structure transformation and industrial adjustment. In such an environment, how to ease employment pressure and provide more support for job seekers is an important issue facing the whole society.

In any case, under the current economic situation, the voices of the unemployed should not be ignored. The long-term and healthy development of the employment market requires policy guidance, and it also requires enterprises and individuals to jointly cope with the complex reality.