Just over a month after joining, they faced batched interviews; signed for a management position but forced to transfer to front-line assembly work; either resign citing personal reasons or accept a transfer. This is not a TV drama plot — it is a real event that occurred in the summer of 2026 at a listed company in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province. Over a hundred fresh graduates had barely left school before society gave them a harsh lesson. On August 27, the People's Daily published a commentary article titled 'Batch Layoffs of Fresh Graduates: Companies Should Treat Human Resources Well,' with severe wording.
What makes this even more infuriating is the company's financial situation. The People's Daily commentary noted that the company's profits are growing, cash flow is ample, large dividends and share buybacks are ongoing, and the company has recently restarted its 'A+H' listing plan to pursue Hong Kong listing — it is by no means operating in difficulty or unable to fulfill contracts. Not short of money, yet choosing to save on fresh graduate salaries. The People's Daily used extremely strong language: 'Allowing contracts to become notes that can be torn up at any time'; 'This is not only disregard for workers' legitimate rights but a blatant trampling of contract spirit and social credit.' The commentary also pointed to a deeper issue: 'Human resources are a core competitiveness of enterprises, not a cost burden'; 'In modern corporate governance, the core of human resource management is to respect people, to help people grow, not to people, to drive people away.'
