How is China’s youth unemployment challenging the development of the country and the world?

With almost 12 million new university graduates at a time when the Chinese economy is struggling with cyclical and especially structural problems, the unemployment rate for 16- to 24-year-olds in China reached 17.1% in July 2024. This is the highest level since the Chinese government introduced an adjusted method for estimating the youth unemployment in December 2023. How serious is the problem of youth unemployment in China today and will the problem continue to worsen? What are the main reasons driving the development of the youth unemployment? How does the youth unemployment affect China’s economic development and social stability? Would China’s youth unemployment be a risk or an opportunity for foreign companies in China and for the world economy? Program

The event consists of different impulse lectures followed by a discussion.

The Global China Conversation #34 will be held in English.

Literature

The impulse lectures refer to the following publications:

Goldin (2024), Youth unemployment in China: New metric, same mess, Econographics February 16, 2024 Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center, https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/econographics/youth-unemployment-in-china-new-metric-same-mess/

Speakers

Nicole Goldin

Dr. Nicole Goldin is a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council’s GeoEconomics Center. Previously she was global head, inclusive economic growth at Abt Associates, a global research, evaluation, and project consulting firm. Prior to joining Abt, she was founding executive principal and chief economist of NRG Advisory, a boutique practice she launched in 2014 specializing in economic growth, inclusive societies, and youth affairs. She worked with UNICEF and the World Bank, including the Bank’s Solutions for Youth Employment Coalition (S4YE) as a lead economist, strategy and policy advisor.  She was previously a senior advisor at the State Department and USAID. She holds a PhD in economics from SOAS, UK.

Maximilian Butek

Mr. Maximilian Butek has more than 16 years of experience in the Network of German Chambers Abroad. Before his posting as Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce Shanghai, he held positions as Chief Representative of Delegation of German Industry and Commerce in Guangzhou and Ghana. His previous postings include the Southern Africa-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the German-Baltic Chamber of Commerce in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and the German-Thai Chamber of Commerce. Before his career in the German Chamber Network abroad, he gained experience in a multinational ICT company and a German strategy consulting firm.

Moderator: Chermaine Lee

From Hong Kong and now based in Berlin, Chermaine Lee is an independent multimedia journalist covering stories about politics, human rights, social and climate issues.

Contact: Moritz Haase (moritz.haase@ifw-kiel.de)

Registration

Please register for this and following Global China Conversations here:

https://www.ifw-kiel.de/de/institut/veranstaltungen/global-china-conversations/anmeldung-zur-veranstaltungsreihe-global-china-conversations/