China’s ‘micro drama’ industry emerges as jobs lifeline in tough graduate labour market

Over 10 million students graduate from Chinese universities every year, straining an already crowded labour market. Yet the “micro drama” industry is emerging as a crucial lifeline for hundreds of thousands of young jobseekers: offering the chance to turn creativity into a stable pay cheque.

The sector was estimated to directly generate about 690,000 jobs in 2025 – mostly for young people – and over 2 million positions when counting upstream and downstream roles, according to a recent report by Peking University’s National School of Development.

The emerging industry – whose dramas run just a few minutes per episode, with fast-paced storylines and frequent twists meant to capture eyeballs – has relatively low entry barriers and sustainable opportunities, particularly important given chronically high youth unemployment, the report’s authors said.

The national monthly output of micro dramas has stabilised at about 3,000, according to state-run news agency Xinhua, with an increasingly mature division of labour.

When the industry first emerged, low-cost production teams typically consisted of about 12 people, while micro drama crews now number between 60 and 90, spanning roles in directing, cinematography, lighting, costumes, props and management, according to the Peking University report.

With filming cycles lasting just five to 10 days, the industry promotes a high-frequency, standardised production output, supporting more stable employment opportunities, they added. This, in turn, has drawn long-term unemployed graduates and those without stable work into the sector, including some overseas students.

Shutian Yu, a University of Sussex master’s graduate in her early 30s, had no stable career until she began acting in micro dramas in 2024.

South China Morning Post