Losers or Rebels? Unemployed Youth in China

Widening income disparities and persistent structural unemployment top the list of concerns raised by experts in all parts of the world. In their view, particularly youth unemployment will increase the risks of political and social strife. In China, income inequality without any doubt has reached a threatening level, but what about unemployment? While surveyed numbers of unemployed are considerably higher than the official ones, they are still low compared with those in the Middle East, Europe, or Russia. Nevertheless, officials seem alarmed by the lack of adequate jobs for qualified young people. And the ongoing rebalancing of China's economy will probably worsen the job situation. Based on statistics and written material, this paper aims to evaluate the employment situation of young people in China. It also tries to find hints whether rising social unrest is linked with the job situation of Chinese youth.