China’s Xi Pledges to Make Youth Employment a Top Priority

Unemployment for the age group stood at 14.7% in April, down slightly from March.

Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to prioritize youth employment and direct more resources to job creation at a Politburo study session on Monday, according to the official Xinhua News Agency.

Full employment should become a “priority goal” for social and economic development, Xi said, while employment for college graduates should be the “focus of the focus,” according to the Xinhua report published Tuesday afternoon.

China should support the development of industries and enterprises with strong employment capacity, Xi said.

He added that higher education courses and subjects should be adjusted dynamically to meet the needs created by new technologies and industries. Xi also said a “correct view for employment” should be instilled into the society. Earlier media reports said younger generations are increasingly shunning factory work for service industry jobs.

Almost 11.8 million graduates will enter China’s job market this year, up 2% over last year, Xinhua reported in December, citing data from the Ministry of Education. Unemployment among 16- to 24-year-olds hit a record high last summer, before Beijing changed the counting method to exclude students, which it said reflected a more accurate picture of unemployment.

Unemployment for the age group stood at 14.7% in April, down slightly from March.