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NEET in China shirks independence
www.chinanews.cn 2005-04-01 17:06:15
����China Newsweek , By Luo Xunhui and Sun Ran
People traditionally define adulthood as economic independence. Yet, a
new group of unemployed young adults labeled with the moniker NEET (Not
in Education, Employment or Training) has begun to grow in China. They
either voluntarily or involuntarily give up an independent lifestyle,
instead they depend on family members for financial support. Their total
lack of economic independence has placed them in an awkward social
position.
The annual sessions of the National People's Congress (NPC) and the
Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) concluded
recently in Beijing. In her proposal to the legislative body, Jiang
Zhonglian, a CPPCC representative, referred directly to China's NEETs,
asserting that the population of this new group has already exceeded that
of unemployed workers. Her proposal marks the first time influential
Chinese have expressed concern about this growing group.
NEET: Not in Education, Employment or Training
The term originated in the U.K. in the 1980s and referred to unemployed,
unmarried youth aged 15 and older who were not pursuing formal education
or professional training courses, but rather relied on their parents or
mates for support.
In China, NEETs can be placed into three major categories. This first
group is made up of parasites that detest hard work. The second group
includes those thrown into unemployment for a variety of reasons. For
instance, young adults with low levels of schooling unable to find work,
or those with higher levels of formal schooling unwilling to take jobs
that they view as beneath their qualifications. Lastly, an unconventional
group has given up work in order to pursue its dreams; some choose to
become full-time housewives or establish small private businesses.
There are no official statistics on the size of China's NEET population.
The group came to Jiang Zhonglian's attention because many friends and
relatives sought her help finding their children employment; most of
these jobless acquaintances were around 20 years old. At first, Ms. Jiang
was embarrassed by her inability to help. Then she discovered the
staggering size of this group. After investigation, she came to the
conclusion that their common characteristics are a lack of higher
education, special skills, and financial resources.
However, in recent years, the NEET demographic have been complicated by a
large influx of newly minted, unemployed college graduates. A segment of
these graduates have even obtained graduate degrees.
Gao Yan, a young woman from Xi'an, began applying for positions at big
firms such as the Bank of East Asia and Maersk Logistics soon after
finishing her master's degree in banking and finance. But, due to her
lack of work experience, these companies ended up rejecting her
application. She then sought out junior level positions only to be turned
down as "overqualified." Unemployed for a year, she was forced to turn to
her parents for financial support. Out of options, she then decided to
pursue her second master's degree in recreation and sports management at
a university in the United Kingdom. Gao Yan said she sweats at the
thought of the 500,000-yuan tuition fee raised by her working-class
parents.
Who should be blamed for those who do not want to grow up?
Li Tianguo, a doctor of sociology at the Institute of Labor Studies, says
that China's professional education is not in line with the labor market
and not oriented to employment. This has led to a harsh transitional
experience from school to employment, he said. Those without marketable,
professional skills are more likely to become a NEET.
On the other hand, this phenomenon may be a result of economic
development. Sun Yunxiao, a researcher at the China Youth and Children
Research Center, mentioned that in the past, undergraduates had to find
work as soon as they graduated because their families would no longer
have the means to support them. Nowadays, as some families have prospered
from the developing economy, many young graduates do not view employment
as such a pressing issue. Defining "work" from a modern point of view,
even a full-time housewife can be regarded as a type of laborer.
It is important to note that NEETs are all members of the one-child
generation. Many of these young men and women do not have a good sense of
what they want to do with their lives and are more apt to be frustrated
in work. Their parents are loath to let them have a rough time, and have
already offered them shelter. However, in coddling their children, they
provide shade from the sunshine of growth.
Regardless of the NEET subtype that they belong to, these young people
have grown up, but do not have a sound mentality. In Sun Yunxiao's
opinion, although they are born into rich families and their parents can
support them, they still lead a moribund life. Despite their lack of
employment, NEETs still form relationships and have children. Some fear
that this group will snowball, with more and more out of work youth
starting families. Other NEETs stand in a suspended childhood, afraid to
go out at night, afraid to meet strangers and even afraid to court at the
age of thirty.
Li Tianguo, a doctor of sociology at the Institute for Science of Labor,
says that work is an opportunity to integrate with society and NEETs harm
their own ability to establish a social personality. In foreign
countries, the idle, unmotivated NEET group tends towards drug use and
violent crimes; they are apt to become social outcasts and an instable
social factor. Furthermore, unemployment amongst young adults will likely
hurt China's fragile system of social security for the aged.
Bian Bingbin, CEO of Kerui Vocational Consultant Group, is actively
engaged in human resource management for foreign-funded enterprises. He
believes that competitiveness of the NEET demographic was not to be
compared with other job seekers. In terms of careers in technology,
companies would rather employ a new graduate over a NEET with a similar
educational background and experience because the professional knowledge
of the former is more up to date, while that of the NEET may have dropped
behind. Even in terms of manual labor, NEETs are often viewed as worn
out, their youth exhausted.
Bian postulated that members of the NEET group under 28 years old stay in
an unbalanced period in which their skills do not match job requirements
and demand for jobs exceeds supply. He said, "They need make arduous
efforts to find jobs. This is still the grim reality that all youth in
this age must confront."
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