Chinese Terminology: 'youth awaiting employment'

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02:24

For nearly all of us, finding an ideal job really matters. But the 1980s in China saw plenty of educated young people staying at home waiting for jobs. And that generation gave birth to the term "dai ye qing nian" - or "youth awaiting employment."

How did that happen?

Well, from the mid-1960s to the late 1990s, around 17 million high school graduates flocked to the countryside and were encouraged to learn a craft from peasants. But when these young people returned to the home cities, there just wasn't enough job positions for them.

But these youngsters didn't want to think of themselves as "unemployed," so they gave themselves another title - they called themselves "waiting to be employed."

The country's reform and opening up measures, implemented shortly after, gave vitality to the market. And it soon turned things around and provided these people with new job opportunities.

Nowadays, with an expansion of China's higher education enrollment, young people are actively engaged in job hunting, and they no longer need to wait for a job. Looking back at history, we can see how times have changed when it comes to choosing a job. For some, it's about life-long stability, for others, it's all about passion.

00:55

CGTN's special series "Chinese Terminology," which was launched on November 26, marks the 40-year anniversary of the country's reform and opening up program. The episodes, hosted by CGTN anchors Jeff Moody and Jonathan Betz, air every day at 20:15, 12:00 and 16:00 BJT. Click on the link to find out more about this amazing shift for China's economy.