“Unfinished Adult Children”: A Causal Analysis of the Issue of NEETs in China

The issue of NEETs (not in education, employment, or training) has recently garnered more attention in Chinese society. In China, the current slang term comparable to NEETs is the “unfinished adult children,” referring to those young persons who are not successful in entering the workforce after graduation. This article focuses on analyzing the causes of the issue in China in three dimensions. In the dimension of tertiary education, college enrollment expansion, low alignment between educational supply and demand, and inadequate career planning and employment training have contributed to youth employment difficulties. In terms of home education, flawed educational expectations and parenting have compromised the social adaptability of the young generation. Personal problems with NEETs, such as irrational employment attitudes, low employment competitiveness, and self-lenient tendency have also exacerbated their predicament. Recom-mendations for addressing this issue are also proposed.