China’s job fairs are making a comeback after being forced online by Covid-19 for three years, but subdued wages and less abundant offerings in sectors exposed to weakening external demand point to an uneven and guarded economic recovery, reports Taipei Times. Authorities announced hundreds of such events across the country this month, the latest sign that China is returning to its pre-Covid-19 way of life and that youth unemployment, a major difficulty for Beijing, could ease from its near 20% peak. In a country of 1.4 billion people, job fairs are one of the most efficient ways for employers and workers to connect.

While job fairs are returning, anxiety over ‘employment anxiety’ is widespread. A recent survey of about 50,000 white-collar workers by Zhaopin showed that 47.3% of respondents were worried they might lose their jobs this year, up from 39.8% a year earlier. About 60% cited the ‘uncertain economic environment’ as the main factor affecting their confidence, up from 48.4% last year.