Story Highlights
- A job advertisement seeking cashiers aged 18 to 30 in a Chinese grocery store caused a stir on social media.
- Many older individuals struggling to find employment in a slow economy expressed their frustrations online.
About the Advertisement
The user who shared the picture of the job ad received over 140 million views and 41,000 comments on Weibo, with many expressing emotional responses. One user stated, “It’s not easy,” while another mentioned, “I am 33 this year and have been searching for a job for three years.”
Another user, aged 29, shared their experience of being laid off multiple times since graduation and receiving no responses to job applications despite mentioning their marital and parental status.
‘Curse of 35’
Reference was made to the “Curse of 35,” a term circulating on Chinese social media to describe the alleged dismissal of older employees by prominent tech firms. While there are no specific laws against age discrimination, reports have highlighted discriminatory hiring practices favoring younger, cost-effective employees.
Even the Chinese government imposes age restrictions, barring candidates over 35 from certain civil service roles. Users on Weibo expressed concerns about job prospects post-30 and the need for career planning amid potential delays in retirement age adjustments.
This issue coincides with reports of the Chinese government considering phased increases in retirement age due to demographic shifts, though concrete plans have yet to be announced.
