Job stampede

last updated 8 January 2015

Zhengzhou, China

A crowd of more than 30,000 college students and recent graduates desperate for work rioted at a job fair last week, clashing with security guards trying to hold back the surging mob. Pushing and screaming job seekers shattered several glass doors, as they rushed toward booths inside an exhibition center, 500 miles south of Beijing. Students said the melee reflected their growing anxiety over job prospects, as Chinese universities churn out more skilled graduates than even China's booming economy can absorb. "I saw only one company that needed students who majored in e-commerce, and they just needed one person," said Yu Honghua, 23. "I don't think we have a very bright future."