Chinese lawmakers have urged the authorities to take the lead in eliminating job market discrimination that targets those over the age of 35.
In recent years, hidden discrimination in China’s job market – such as age caps on recruitment, bias against married but childless women, and discrimination against graduates from non-elite universities – has been increasingly brought out into the open, adding to the anxieties of middle-aged jobseekers.
National People’s Congress (NPC) deputy Zheng Gongcheng said many universities and government departments impose an age limit of 35 when hiring PhD graduates, which violated fair employment principles and forced young people onto an uninterrupted academic path, leaving them little room to pause or adjust their careers.
The discrimination against those over 35 can be traced back to age restrictions in civil service recruitment that have gradually shaped private-sector hiring practices in a job market marked by fierce competition, with a majority of the 12.22 million fresh university graduates this year expected to enter the labour force.
In major cities, where young jobseekers are abundant, companies prefer younger, lower-paid employees, particularly in the internet and hi-tech industries, where market volatility exacerbates mid-career job insecurity.
But age discrimination in hiring conflicts with China’s push for delayed retirement, after the top legislature approved a plan last year to gradually raise retirement ages by up to five years by 2040. While the government is promoting later retirement to ease pension fund pressures, widespread workplace discrimination against those over 35 creates career stagnation. If finding employment beyond 35 remains difficult, its delayed retirement goals will be difficult to achieve.
Employment age discrimination is becoming more visible and has sparked growing discontent
