Chinese politicians have urged the government to lead the charge against bias against people over 35 on the job market.
Hidden bias in China’s work market, including age caps on enrollment, bias against engaged but unmarried women, and discrimination against graduates from non-elite universities, has become more prevalent in recent years, giving employers more reason to worry about hiring middle-aged workers.
Zheng Gongcheng, a deputy member of the National People’s Congress ( NPC ), claimed that many universities and government departments place an age restriction of 35 on PhD candidates, which was in contravention of fair employment practices and made young people follow an unrestricted academic path, leaving them little room to pause or adjust their careers.
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Age limits in civil service selection that have eventually influenced private-sector hiring strategies in a job market marred by fierce competition, with the majority of the 12.22 million new college graduates expected to enter the workforce this year, can be traced to the prejudice against those over 35.
Companies in big cities favor younger, lower-paid employees, especially in the web and high-tech sectors, where market volatility exacerbates mid-career employment insecurity.
After the bottom government approved a plan last year to slowly increase the retirement age by up to five years by 2040, age prejudice in hiring conflicts with China’s drive for delayed retirement. While the government encourages after retirement to relieve pressure on pension funds, popular workplace discrimination against over 35s leads to career stagnation. If finding employment after age 35 continues to be challenging, its delayed retirement targets may be challenging to reach.
Employment age bias is becoming more prevalent and is causing growing unrest.
Zheng Gongcheng, a lieutenant of the NPC,
China has pledged to maintain its level of urban joblessness at about 5.5 % this year, which would result in the creation of more than 12 million new urban jobs.
Numerous NPC delegates urged government organizations, open institutions, and state-owned businesses to take the lead in eradicating age discrimination.
“Employment age bias is becoming more prevalent and is causing growing unrest.,” Zheng said in a proposal to the NPC’s just-concluded annual session. “China’s labour regulations can no longer turn a blind eye to it. Urgent action is needed to curb the worsening trend and address public concerns.”
The legal services age limit should be 40 or 45, according to NPC lieutenant Liu Xiya, and NPC lieutenant Meng Yuan suggested changing the laws that prohibit age discrimination.
However, the minimum age for entry into this week’s civil service exam is 18 to 35, with just recent mentor and PhD alumni who are available up to the age of 40.
The whole crew, including a state-owned bank mid-level director Vincent Lin, is between the ages of 30 and has graduated from prestigious universities in China, the United States, or Hong Kong.
” The most sought-after positions in state-owned businesses, public schools, and government organizations typically come from recent graduates from prestigious establishments,” he said.
If you work for a few years before pursuing a PhD, you’ll get over 35 and unsuitable to apply for legal services or public college positions, according to Crystal Peng, who is pursuing a master’s in training. Competition is fierce with over 11 million fresh graduates arriving each month. These recommendations for policies? Simply empty talk to me, please.
According to Jiang Shengnan, a part of China’s most influential social consulting figure, the Chinese Women’s Political Consultative Conference, prejudice against over-35s was” a systemic problem affecting community as a whole.” In 2021, she initially suggested reversing the civil service time cap.
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