【双语阅读】本周封面:就业关如何过(下)

文摘   2024-09-27 18:05   北京  


Government Intervention

China is ramping up efforts to tackle unemployment among young job-seekers, including subsidies for businesses, expansion of hiring at state-owned enterprises and community employment initiatives. A key move is the growth of “policy positions”—government-supported roles such as community jobs and research assistantships. About 400,000 graduates are expected to fill these functions is year, or more than 700,000 workers when civil service recruitment is included, representing 6% of all 2024 degree-recipients.


Concerns remain about the quality and sustainability of these jobs. Research assistant positions, for instance, often are short-term, low-paying roles held by students prepping for public service exams or graduate school. These positions are made more tenuous by tight local budgets.

这一过渡期的实际意义有待考量。毕竟,离开了政策性岗位的短暂庇护,高校毕业生仍要回到真实的就业市场。另一些担忧则是,当前地方财政紧张,由政府埋单的政策性岗位未必可持续。


Experts warn about a negative effect of over-reliance on policy jobs. One potential result is a widening of inequality, stifling of innovation and a strain public finances, said Nie Huihua, a professor at the School of Economics at Renmin University of China.

“‘强体制化’岗位扩招,从社会福利的角度讲不是一件好事。因为这会导致创新动力减弱,财政负担加重,不公平现象滋长。”中国人民大学经济学院特聘教授聂辉华曾向财新表示,“理论上,公共部门雇员主要是分蛋糕的,并不是直接创造蛋糕。直接创造蛋糕的是生产单位、是企业、是民营经济。”


Similar government-led employment efforts for young people in South Korea have failed to produce meaningful change, with their labor participation falling and a growing number of them classified as NEETs (not in education, employment or training).

China has also adopted an “employment-first” strategy since 2018, prioritizing job creation in its macroeconomic policy. However, challenges persist, as regulatory shifts in key sectors like real estate and education have worsened the employment crisis by slashing jobs. Meanwhile, automation threatens entry-level roles, especially in manufacturing, which has seen 10 million jobs vanish in five years.

唐代盛以制造业的发展形势举例:《中国劳动统计年鉴》数据显示,中国制造业从业人员自2013年开始持续下降,5年间减少超过1000万人,除产业外迁因素外,“机器换人”亦被视为主要因素。“如何缓解今后可能出现的技术性失业危机?这需要社会各方通过展开充分讨论并达成新的共识,而非企业单方主导对技术使用的发展路径。”


Educational reforms are also needed to better align talent with market demands. Since 2020, China has expanded postgraduate enrollment. Critics argue that these efforts may only delay the inevitable clash between an oversupply of graduates and a lack of suitable jobs. Some regions have already begun suspending enrollment in underemployed programs to address this imbalance.

有观点认为,若未改善就业环境、合理规划扩招结构,这实质上只是通过延缓高校毕业生进入劳动力市场的时点,期待“用时间换空间”。前述课题组论文则建议,应当压缩高等教育规模,推动职业教育非学历化发展。


Most of the experts interviewed by Caixin emphasized that, fundamentally, China’s youth employment woes are tied to broader economic struggles. Private small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which provide 80% of urban jobs, face rising costs and tighter regulations, undermining confidence and job stability, said Tang Daisheng, a professor at the School of Economics and Management at Beijing Jiaotong University.

To address this issue, tax cuts and incentives are urgently needed to boost SME confidence and rekindle their demand, which is crucial for securing jobs for young graduates, Sheng said.

从根本上,解决就业问题需要进一步释放经济动能,方能令需求止跌回升。“中小企业是我国经济韧性、就业韧性的重要支撑。当前,受经济下行压力加大、原材料价格大幅上涨、强化监管等因素的影响,中小企业预期不稳、信心不足,生产经营困难有所加大。要进一步实施新的减税降费政策,推动跨周期和逆周期宏观调控政策有机结合,稳定中小企业市场预期和信心,全力稳住就业‘主力军’。”唐代盛说。



Writing by Denise Jia




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