Many Graduates Unemployed: Vocational Pathway Now Gen Z's Preferred Route to Employment
Jakarta, VIVA – A significant shift is taking place in China’s higher education system. Amid fierce job competition and rising youth unemployment, vocational bachelor’s degree pathways are becoming increasingly popular.
Where elite universities were once the primary destination for high-achieving graduates, some students are now choosing vocational campuses for the sake of clearer employment prospects.
Official data show that last December, approximately 16.5 per cent of the population aged 16–24 (excluding students) were unemployed. Meanwhile, a number of sectors are experiencing shortages of skilled workers as the push for smart manufacturing and new technologies intensifies.
This phenomenon is seen as part of a broader transformation in higher education policy. Gerard Postiglione, a professor specialising in Chinese education at the University of Hong Kong, commented on the trend.
“China is trying to integrate, not separate, academic and vocational-technical components in higher education,” he said, as quoted by the South China Morning Post on Tuesday, 24 February 2026.
He added that such measures are necessary to adapt to economic diversification and the accelerating pace of technological development. The expansion of vocational institutions has been rapid. From just 15 campuses in a pilot phase in 2019, the number has now surpassed 100. Roughly a third were established throughout 2025, and the government has even proposed eight new institutions.
The first cohort of vocational bachelor’s graduates recorded an average employment rate of 87.1 per cent, approximately 4.5 percentage points higher than the national average for traditional bachelor’s degree holders. Several vocational institutions now rank among the top nationally, including Jinhua University of Vocational Technology and Chongqing Polytechnic University of Electronic Technology.
Nevertheless, challenges remain. Some still regard vocational degrees as second-tier qualifications. “Those who stigmatise this type of post-school education are actually harming the country,” Postiglione remarked.
Meanwhile, Scott Rozelle, co-director of the Stanford Centre on China’s Economy and Institutions, stressed the importance of curricular balance. “Institutions should not focus solely on a single skill,” he said. “Who knows whether that skill will still exist ten years from now?”
Rozelle emphasised that improving capabilities in mathematics, science, computing and languages remains crucial, particularly when human capital serves as the primary source of economic growth.