Jobseekers in China face a tough time as businesses hold back on hiring

There are more job seekers in the market this year, Joey Lu, an operations manager in China, said. But her company and most of her clients tend to maintain their current staff size and hold no plans to expand, reported South China Morning Post.

Lu noted that many of her industry peers are struggling to retain clients and reduce office vacancies, as many companies cut office space and budgets. Employers’ interest in hiring has dropped this quarter compared to last year.

Liepin recently released a report that highlights that 30.85% of companies plan to increase hiring in the first quarter of 2025, compared to 39.3% in the same period last year. But this is an increase from the 25.64% reported in the fourth quarter of 2024.

The first quarter of the year often sets the tone for annual hiring. Businesses typically expand during this period. But many traditional manufacturing companies in China are continuing to tighten budgets and reduce staff size.

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