Tony Bie graduated from university in China with a bachelor's degree two years ago but is still unemployed and living with his parents.
"Sometimes I wonder why I went to university," he said. "If I had got a job straight out of high school, I would be a manager now."
Despite that, the 23-year-old said he wanted to do further study, a postgraduate degree, because it would increase his chances of getting a job.
However, competition for university places is fierce and he has failed the course's entrance exam three times.
"I don't know if the day will come [when I will pass the exam], or if it will never come in this life," he said.
Mr Bie is one of about 30 million unemployed young people in China.
Data released by China's National Bureau of Statistics this week showed the situation was getting worse.
The national unemployment rate for 16-to-24-year-olds is now 19.5 per cent, nearly 3 per cent higher than in December.
That rise comes despite the ending of China's COVID-zero policy earlier this year and compares to youth unemployment rates of 7.5 per cent in the United States and 7.8 per cent in Australia in March.
Fewer jobs for university graduates
University of Western Australia senior lecturer in Chinese studies Tao Yu said young Chinese people generally believed that a good education would lead to a well-paid job.
However, the reality was that China's economic struggles — driven largely by the three-year-long COVID-zero policy — meant there were fewer jobs for university graduates.
"There is some misalignment between these skills that university graduates have now after graduation and some of the needs of the market," Dr Tao said.
"They find that the diploma itself doesn't guarantee them a good job or an easy job, and that's when they face some uncertainty."
At a time when the global economy is facing high inflation, the Chinese economy is also dealing with rising costs of living.
In the current tough job market, some young Chinese people are choosing to set up stalls in night markets to avoid the "996" work culture and solve their income problems.
However, many others rely on family support to make ends meet, as there are no welfare payments for unemployed youth in China.
Tina Li — a 24-year-old university graduate with a degree in media studies — is unemployed and has been living with her parents for almost two years.
"My education as an undergraduate didn't give me much of an advantage over skilled people, because of my lack of experience," Ms Li told the ABC.
"[I] regret it a bit now, after all, jobs are really hard to come by."
Data from the Education Ministry showed there were more than 10 million university graduates last year, with another 11.6 million expected this year.
Industry lay-offs add to unemployment problem
The Chinese government's crackdown on the technology, education and property sectors has also left a large number of young people in these industries out of a job.
Many technology giants have laid off thousands of workers. Alibaba made at least 19,000 workers redundant last year.
Alan Rong worked for a property developer in China's eastern province of Shandong, and was suddenly sacked in February.
But he wasn't surprised.
The 26-year-old, who has a degree in engineering management, said the huge decline in the real estate market over the past three years had triggered job losses.
"There's pressure on the property companies when apartments can't be sold," Mr Rong said.
"Then the company can't afford to pay as many staff because of problems with cash flow."
Mr Rong has now been unemployed for two months and is living on his redundancy package.
He said he had been unable to find a new job in "such a fierce employment market".
"My parents sometimes say that people who didn't go to universities are working on construction sites and can earn more than 10,000 yuan ($2,000) per month," he said.
"They wonder why I can't even find a good job."
Mr Rong said he felt anxious about the situation, that "there is no future" for him, and his university education had been "wasted".
University of Sydney professor of Chinese business and management Hans Hendrischke said the impact of the COVID-zero policy on the private sector and young people had been significant and prompted some "worrying questions".
"It affects young people in China who are trying to find their place in society, and my observation is that there is really no short-term solution," Professor Hendrischke said.
"The [Chinese] education system … still has a rather strong emphasis on general education, whereas in Australia and in other countries the trend is much more toward helping skills-oriented qualification of graduates.
"That's something where the Chinese education system [has to be upgraded], because it is so strongly influenced by the old state tradition … it will take time to make that change."
Young people censored on social media
The unemployment problem in China has prompted young people to voice their concerns on social media, where many compared themselves to "Kong Yiji" — a classic Chinese literary character who is highly educated but unwilling to take up manual work during an economic downturn.
China's state media responded by criticising young people for not working hard enough, and told them to lower their expectations and take up blue-collar jobs or farming.
Young people then flooded social media accusing state media of shirking their responsibilities and making them the main culprits of China's economic woes.
Their comments were quickly censored.
Mr Bie said the Kong Yiji phenomenon reflects the true feelings of young Chinese people like him: that being isolated from society and unable to get work has left him "very anxious".
"I'm so anxious in my mind right now," he said.
Mr Bie said he would be happy with any job, and his unemployment made him feel "very sorry" for his parents.
"I wish they would put some pressure on me. My parents don't stress about anything. They tell me it's fine," he said.
"The more I was comforted, the more I felt sorry for them."
Additional reporting by Bang Xiao
