Record Numbers of Chinese Graduates Enter Worst Job Market in Decades

Graduating students wearing masks attend a commencement ceremony at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications in Chongqing, China, on June 22, 2022. Cnsphoto via Reuters

BEIJING—Jenny Bai was among 10 high-performing computer science students from different Chinese universities selected by a Beijing-based internet firm for a job upon graduation, following four rounds of arduous interviews.

But last month, the company told the students their contract offers were cancelled due to COVID-19 headwinds and the bad state of the economy in genera—obstacles facing a record 10.8 million Chinese university graduates this summer.