Chinese job advert seeking workers under 30 triggers ageism backlash

‘I am 33 this year and have been looking for a job for three years,’ laments Weibo user

People stand in a grocery store in Shanghai, China (EPA)

A Chinese grocery store job advertisement seeking employees between 18 and 30 years of age has triggered a backlash for ageism in the struggling job market.

People on Chinese social media Weibo criticised the advert seeking employees under 30 at a time when the country is struggling with an unemployment rate of 5.3 per cent amid an economic slump.

The pressure of the tough job market is largely on middle-aged job seekers above the age of 35, with recruiters aggressively favouring fresh graduates.

A Weibo user from the city of Ningbo, in the eastern province of Zhejiang, posted the picture of the advert seeking cashiers, with the caption: "It's not easy".

The post has since garnered more than 140 million views and 41,000 comments – many of them emotional.

“I am 33 this year and have been looking for a job for three years,” another Weibo user wrote, according to Reuters.

Although there is no specific law against age discrimination, the state media last year criticised employers for “discriminatory” hiring practices, including seeking younger people ready to work for a lower wage.

“Was it difficult to find a job when you were over 35 before?” another Weibo user asked, with an accompanying emoji icon representing bitterness. “Now it’s 30 years old.”

Human resources company Zhaopin in April 2023 found that 85 per cent of workers said there was a barrier to finding or keeping jobs past the age of 35.

Zhao, a 35-year-old Chinese man was turned away by a recruiter of an automobile manufacturing company because of his age, Nikkei Asia reported. "We're looking to hire people born after 1990, and are unable to offer you a position at this time," the man was told.

The Asian giant is under pressure to boost job creation with an estimated number of university graduates to hit a record high of 11.79 million in 2024.

Another recent job ad for upscale supermarket chain Pangdonglai set 30 as the maximum age for positions it was trying to fill.

A Weibo user rued that while there were sparse employment opportunities, the proposed delay of retirement age leaves them with marooning uncertainty. "So what are you going to do in between?” the user added.

China is planning to raise the retirement age in phases as the population ages, state media has reported, though no specific plans have been announced.

The retirement age currently stands at 60 for men, and younger still for women, who may retire at 55 from white-collar jobs and at 50 if working in factories.