China’s Record Graduate Cohort Faces Tight Job Market as Universities Cut Arts Degrees

China produced 12.7 million college graduates in 2026, with many struggling to find work amid a skills mismatch and new government hiring initiatives.

• A record 12.7 million students graduated from Chinese universities in 2026, an increase of 480,000 from 2025.
• Chinese universities eliminated 12,200 undergraduate programs, mostly in arts and humanities, between 2021 and 2025 and added 10,200 in emerging fields.
• Authorities launched a six-month national campaign this month urging increased hiring and signalled plans to use AI to create 12 million urban jobs in 2026.
• Informal polls on Chinese social media showed that over 10,000 of 14,000 respondents said they were still unemployed.