Youth unemployment and the risk of social relationship exclusion: a qualitative study in a Chinese context

摘要

This paper explores the impact of unemployment on young people's social relationships. Based on data obtained from interviews with 19 unemployed young persons in Shanghai, China, the present study shows that unemployment diminishes their social contacts and results in their social networks being characterised by strong peer ties but emerging segregation from society. This in turn results in less effective social support. Accordingly, this paper argues that social policy for unemployed youth should aim at helping them build social networks and counter social relationship exclusion.