Queues of hundreds of meters at the temples line up on weekends from desperate youth. China which turn into prayer find a job – in an economy that is gradually recovering from the coronavirus pandemic.

“I hope to find peace in temples,” says Wang Xiaoning, 22, referring to the “pressure associated with finding a job” and out-of-control housing costs.

Wang is one of a record 11.58 million university graduates facing an economic backlash against the zero Covid measures, as well as crackdowns on technology and education, key employers in the Chinese economy.

One fifth of the unemployed young Chinese of the highly educated generation record percentage.

Improving job prospects is a key headache for start-ups 12 million new jobs by 2023one million more than last year.

“There is a serious oversupply of university graduates, and their priority is survival,” said Zhang Qidi, a research fellow at the Center for International Economic Research, adding that many resort to temporary work.

Source: Reuters.