[Video] How the Chinese are coping with unemployment

27 Jun 2025

Video Journalist, ThinkChina

Study hard, graduate from university, then... deliver takeout? With few job opportunities, many Chinese graduates — and even mid-career adults — are drifting through preset life paths like non-player characters (NPCs) in a game. In response, Chinese netizens are using satire to capture their frustrations, coining four trending “career routes” that blend dark humour with harsh reality. ThinkChina’s Yi Jina takes a closer look at the situation.

First up — the Imperial Exams. Exams don’t stop after university. Many continue with civil service tests, public institution exams or postgraduate admissions. In 2025, 3.4 million people took the civil service exam for just 39,700 jobs. That’s an intense 86-to-1 fight. Meanwhile, some top universities now have more postgraduates than undergraduates. Why? For some, it’s the dream of the “iron rice bowl” — a stable, lifelong job. For others, it’s a way to delay the harsh reality of unemployment while still doing something productive.

If the exam grind doesn’t appeal — or doesn’t pay off — next comes the Startup Trilogy: set up a street stall, open a small shop or try your luck as an online creator. In today’s job market, it’s hard to land a role — harder still to find one you actually like — and even then, layoffs can hit at any time. So, many choose autonomy over anxiety. Being your own boss means avoiding the “996” work culture and endless involution. Not everyone makes it, but for many, it’s better than being stuck in limbo.

And if one goes bankrupt from the Startup Trilogy or if speed and stamina are one’s strengths, they can turn to the “Iron Man Triathlon”: food delivery, courier work or ride-hailing. These jobs are fast-paced, physically demanding and often lack contracts or benefits. Yet they’re always in demand and can be filled quickly. Although they fall under the label of “flexible employment”, for many, it’s less about flexibility and more about survival.

If the Iron Man Triathlon feels too strenuous, there’s also the No-Fuss Trio: security guard, janitor or housekeeper. Once seen as fallback jobs, these roles are now glorified online by exhausted youths as ideal career end points. Viral posts highlight their appeal: no KPIs, no office politics, easy tasks, paid on time, off on time. With a guard licence, the pay even jumps. Some even commented: “If we’re all becoming security guards anyway, might as well start at 20 and skip the struggle.”

And beyond these four? Satire turns dark and self-mockery veers into nihilism. There’s the so-called Comeback Trilogy: referring to those who resort to illegal job offers in places like Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia. One viral post summed it up bluntly: “No way out? There’s always the ‘dead’ end”.

Call it self-mockery or strategy, these memes reflect more than just humour. They are a reflection of the constraints many Chinese, especially young people, face in a labour market that no longer guarantees upward mobility. They expose how an entire generation feels like they’re moving through life like non-player characters (NPCs) in a game, following prescribed routes in the absence of better options.

Is this resistance, or resignation? We don’t know. But for now, this is how the game is played.