A growing number of young Chinese are getting certified to become tour guides, driven by unstable job prospects in white-collar work and hopeful that a domestic vacation boom will provide steady pay.
Some 320,000 Chinese have signed up for the country’s annual tour guide certification exam this year, up 45% from 2023 and hitting record highs in provinces across the country, according to government-linked industry publication China Tourism News. An increasing number of candidates hold university degrees and majored in foreign languages, it said.
Tour guiding is becoming an increasingly popular fallback option in a China rife with employment instability as the economy slows. Sweeping layoffs in tech and finance has swelled the number of white-collar job hunters, while millions of graduates compete for fewer entry-level roles. Finding a stable job is increasingly challenging for even well-educated Chinese, with youth unemployment hovering around 17%, leading many to settle for part-time or gig work, or take on blue-collar jobs once considered below their station.
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