A while ago, I attended a gathering of a group of Hong Kong people I met in Cambodia. Among this group of ten, eight were in their 20s and 30s. As we munched on delicious Korean appetizers and as our mouths water over Korean barbecue and hotpot, we chatted for hours about some of the many life problems encountered by us young people – unemployment, low wages, long working hours, lack of upward mobility, work-life imbalance etc.
There was only one older couple in their fifties within the group. The husband, an experienced architect, echoed our views.
“Indeed,” he said, “nowadays, the world of work is not favourable for youth.”
At his time, he continued, getting a professional degree is a guarantee for work. In fact, when he graduated from university, employers had to “fight over” qualified candidates. But now, in almost any field, contracts are shorter, deadlines are tighter and clients’ demands are more burdensome.
Right before his retirement, for the first time in many years, his clients delayed payment for more than three months. “Even the veterans are affected. That’s why I am glad that I am in the retirement age,” he sighed.
To be frank, youth unemployment (and even poverty) is to be expected in every society. Young graduates freshly out of school lack the work experience and professional contacts leading to the positions they aspire to reach. With limited experience in the labour market, they may also lack the job-search, interview and presentation skills needed for landing in certain jobs. In most economies, therefore, the youth unemployment rate is higher than the official unemployment rate.
Nonetheless, apart from these lifecycle challenges, structural reasons may also account for the social and economic problems faced by the young population. In some cases, the skills and knowledge possessed by the graduates do not match the existing market demand.
Take the example of Hong Kong – an economy wishing to diversify its economy. With favourable policies and financial incentives from the government, more investments have moved into new priority sectors (e.g. environmental engineering, cultural and creative industries, medical and other professional services, etc.). However, the education system has not been updated to meet changes in future skills demand. Parents and students, of course, are still socialized to believe that the financial sector will forever remain invincible. Therefore, young graduates with Bachelors in Business Administration (BBA) flood the market every year and very few graduates possess the technical skills and specialized knowledge required for the changing economic structure.
Even worse, at times (if not often), students who were directed into these finance- and commerce-related subjects have no clue why they are studying these subjects, except to say that everybody was following suit or that finance and banking offer lucrative salaries. In the recent global economic crisis, these graduates were the most disoriented – suddenly, it daunts on them that they have no clue what they want to do with their lives. Hence, the mismatch of skills demand and supply reflects not only a generational problem, i.e. young people not having the appropriate education and skills required. It is also linked closely with deficiencies in the education system, traditional perceptions and attitudes of parents and teachers and shortcomings of the government’s strategies towards economic diversification.
Besides, youth unemployment also becomes a concern when the jobs market is not expanding abreast with growth of the labour force. In many developing countries where the population is young, school leavers and school graduates overwhelm the slowly growing formal economic sectors. As a result, there are too few stable jobs in registered (formal) businesses to satisfy the young graduates.
In Cambodia, at an interview with the Director of a state-run vocational training institution, he gladly informed the team that the school provides a free two-week entrepreneurship training course as a “graduation gift.” In a subtle way, his statement hints on a severe shortage of decent jobs for his graduates. Many graduates (of electrical engineering, mechanics, etc.) are expected to return to their home villages, start up their own small business and receive unstable and small incomes each month. If I were a graduate, I would also be discouraged by job insecurity and low wages.
A similar problem permeates developed societies, as the supply of high-skilled jobs lags behind the growing demand for jobs among those completing undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate studies. Even in China, the drastic growth of graduates has caused many economic and social issues. As indicated in a recent report, the number of university graduates in China was merely 1.07 million in year 2000. In 2009, however, this number has reached at least six-fold, at 6.3 million. Overall, counting graduates and other job-seekers, the shortage of jobs is estimated to peak at 12 million. These statistics indicate that there will be fierce competition for jobs; young graduates with an aspiration for high salaried jobs may very likely be disappointed.
The problems of job insecurity, unemployment and poverty among youth have caught the limelight in China’s thriving cities, notably Beijing, Shanghai and Guangdong (or Bei Shang Guang 北上廣). Numerous reports and studies have found that although cities offer more opportunities, many graduates still end up in jobs with meagre pay and can hardly support their daily expenses. Following interviews with more than 3,300 Chinese youth in various Chinese cities, a recent opinion survey found that 80 percent of youth dissatisfied with their standard of living. Nearly 50 percent wish to switch jobs. This study seems to confirm that many young people feel that their jobs do not match with their skills but few opportunities are present for them to fulfil their ambitions.
Furthermore, seeing this influx of young graduates into the labour market, many employers push up eligibility requirements for entry-level jobs. In the end, high academic qualifications become an entrance ticket for many jobs. “That piece of paper” may determine whether your CV is considered or not, let alone getting an interview or landing in the actual job. In Cambodia, a Bachelor degree is precious; in China, a Master degree is precious; but in Taiwan, perhaps one would need a Doctoral degree to find gainful employment. Surely, these trends are to be expected as societies attain higher education levels and living standards.
But, at the same time, those with little interest in academics, low intellectual capacity and/or few financial resources to pursue higher studies are at a disadvantage.
Youth issues are common in every generation and in every society; however, not dealt with properly, these issues can snowball into more and more social, economic and political problems. In China, a Professor in Beijing has characterized young graduates who suffer from job insecurity, underemployment and poverty as the “ant tribe.” In my opinion, this term is appropriately designated. Individually, the unemployed or underemployed youth are merely quiet and busy people working hard to put food on their own table. But when a critical mass of disgruntled youth gathers, they may react radically and violently. In a country where the Communist Party seeks to suppress public demonstrations and dissenting views against the government, the rise of these young people may cause a big headache for the national leadership.
When I last returned to my home city Hong Kong, I witnessed young people – dubbed the post-1980 generation – rising up to push for a more transparent and democratic government. They gathered in masses outside the Legislative Council, camped on the streets, blocked the exit of key government officials and legislators, called for face-to-face conversations with policy makers and at times clashed with the police.
The society reacted differently towards these young activists. Some called to phone-in radio programmes and suggested that the government should offer more extra-curricular activities and short-term vocations for young people. They believe that the youth only rose up because “they had nothing better to do.”
Others complained that the younger generation have become more fragile and less tolerable through difficult times.
Even worse, in a Phoenix TV current affairs programme, a so-called “Hong Kong specialist” called these young people “the violent masses (暴民).”
In my frank opinion, these criticisms are beside the point. We, the young generation, would only become more frustrated and desperate (and “radical”) when we hear such negative and discouraging words. In fact, we should take a closer look at the issues that trouble young people nowadays. In some cases, the young people themselves are at fault, such as not having a vision for their lives and not paying attention in their studies, etc. However, in other cases, there is room for parents, teachers and the government to change their perceptions, think outside-the-box and allow more space for the young ones to explore their interests.
Sources:
China’s “ant tribe” poses policy challenge for Beijing, Reuters, 17 February 2010
調查：七成80後感不幸福 逾3成不滿社會負面標籤, 明報, 2010年2月15日 (70% post-1980 generation feel unhappy; over 30% dissatisfied with negative image within society, Mingpao, 15 Feb 2010)
蟻族大學生吃剩飯團年寄居京郊 淒涼如上訪民眾, 明報, 2010年2月16日 (“Ant Tribe” university students eat leftovers for Chinese New Year, Mingpao, 16 Feb 2010)
630萬高校畢業生 職場爭崩頭, 明報, 2010年2月16日 (6.3 million university graduates; severe competition in labour market, Mingpao, 16 Feb 2010)
青春靠站聚居村, 2009年11月18日
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