Imagine yourself as an HR. What do you think about a candidate when you see that his/her CV has a gap year?
The term "Gap Year" is also directly expressed in English on Chinese social media because the word does not exist in Chinese, and the concept does not exist in the Chinese social system. Chinese people gradually understood the idea of a gap year after the recent increase in the number of Chinese students. A gap year is prevalent in Western countries; whether it is study or work, you can take time off, volunteer, learn new skills, or try different jobs. If conditions permit, you can also travel abroad. After accepting such a lifestyle, Chinese students returning to their home country encounter a practical difficulty: Chinese society does not allow a gap year. Regarding the current working environment and labor market, enterprises cannot accept a gap period for job seekers. Many HR personnel make it clear in the recruitment process that candidates with no formal job on their resumes for more than three months will not be considered. The Gap year has been nicknamed "a crime record" on social media.
Why is a gap year unacceptable? The answer from employers is straightforward: unstable. The company believes that employees with a gap period can not stay in the post for a long time; in fact, the subtext here is that such employees can not obey the management stably. In China's social value system, diligence is a very important virtue, which requires people to keep studying and working. A gap year is a lazy act of doing nothing. A seamless transition from school to work is ideal.
However, young people don't agree with that anymore because the job market has changed so much since their parents' generation. The "996" working mode has become a common phenomenon in China, and the so-called "996" refers to the working mode from 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week. Many huge Internet companies' work hours are far beyond the 996 model. Employees are not allowed to turn off their phones after work hours and must be on standby 24 hours a day. Even with all this pressure, employees risk being laid off anytime. After the Covid, the 35-year-old layoffs wave appeared because of the economic environment. This phenomenon first appeared in large Internet companies and gradually spread to other industries. Age anxiety is crazy in China, where 35 years old is the threshold for job seekers, and this phenomenon is more pronounced for women. According to social values, 35 is the age for women to be mothers and care for their families. Companies believe such women cannot devote themselves to work and may incur more leave costs because of their families. What needs to be mentioned is that in China, except for foreign companies, the statutory paid annual leave for local enterprises is only five days. Under such pressure, the physical and mental health of employees have problems, and the sudden death rate of young people has increased year by year.
The pressure in academia is no less intense than in industry. Universities now require 30-year-olds to recruit young teachers or academics. It means that the researchers have to obtain a PhD degree and have a few published articles by 30. Most Chinese students go to university at the age of 18. The bachelor's degree is four years, the master's degree is three years, and the doctor's degree is five years. People who want to work in universities must set this goal at 18, can not change or work in industries for some time before choosing to do academic work, and must succeed in every entrance exam.
Such a rigid labor market has dramatically reduced young people's creativity and enthusiasm for life. The popularity of "躺平" （Tang Ping）, which means "Stop trying and be indifferent to the future," among young people, is largely a form of helpless passive resistance. Their choices reflect a negative view of the future. Many people did not even choose the gap voluntarily. Some delayed their time because of a failed graduate examination, some lost their jobs during the epidemic, some had to resign for a time because of family reasons, and many people had to recuperate because of the sequelae after contracting COVID-19. They need a break and try different lifestyles to be creative and motivated. However, the crazy inner society won't allow them to do so.
Despite these challenges, some young people have chosen to defy the system. Some have ventured into entrepreneurship, while others have focused on their physical and mental well-being. Some have even chosen to return home to care for their parents. These lifestyles may not align with traditional social values, but they represent the most appropriate solutions for young people to balance their personal needs with the current social situation. Their resilience and determination in the face of societal pressure are truly admirable.
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