Episode Details

Chinese authorities and companies are taking steps to address the so-called "curse of 35", a discriminatory hiring practice that sidelines or dismisses workers age 35 and older due to labor costs. More employers across the country are easing age restrictions in their recruitment policies in an effort to promote fairer hiring.
中国政府部门和企业正采取措施应对所谓的 “35 岁魔咒”—— 这是一种歧视性招聘做法，因劳动力成本问题将 35 岁及以上的劳动者边缘化或解雇。全国越来越多雇主在招聘政策中放宽年龄限制，以推动更公平的招聘。

In Heyuan, Guangdong province, a government recruitment program announced earlier this month that 355 new employees would be hired for government departments this year. The general age requirement is 18 to 35 years old, but that age limit has been extended to 40 for candidates with master's degrees or for demobilized military personnel and their family members.
在广东省河源市，本月早些时候公布的一项政府招聘计划显示，今年政府部门将新招聘 355 名工作人员。一般年龄要求为 18 至 35 岁，但拥有硕士学位的应聘者、退役军人及其家属的年龄限制放宽至 40 岁。

Candidates as old as 45 who have doctorates and those up to age 50 with senior professional titles may also apply for the program.
拥有博士学位的应聘者年龄可放宽至 45 岁，具有高级专业技术职称的应聘者年龄可放宽至 50 岁。

Other provinces and cities have introduced similar changes. In November, Shanghai said applicants for the city's civil service exam must be between 18 and 35 years old, with the age limit raised to 40 for those with master's or doctoral degrees.
其他省市也推出了类似调整。去年 11 月，上海市表示，该市公务员考试的报考者年龄须在 18 至 35 岁之间，拥有硕士或博士学位者年龄限制放宽至 40 岁。

Guangzhou Pharmaceuticals Holdings, a major State-owned enterprise specializing in traditional Chinese medicine, biomedicine and healthcare, announced in May that it welcomes jobseekers under the age 45, with the cap extended to 50 for applicants with notable work experience.
广州医药集团是一家专注于中医药、生物医药和医疗健康领域的大型国有企业，在 5 月宣布，欢迎 45 岁以下的求职者应聘，具有显著工作经验的应聘者年龄上限可放宽至 50 岁。

"Companies generally seek to hire employees in economical and reasonable ways. That means workers must produce value equal to their pay, or companies may prefer younger candidates who have more energy and cost less," said Zhaopin, a leading online recruitment platform.
领先的在线招聘平台智联招聘表示：“企业通常寻求以经济合理的方式雇佣员工。这意味着劳动者必须创造与薪酬相等的价值，否则企业可能更倾向于选择精力更充沛、成本更低的年轻候选人。”

Cheng Yang, a senior partner at Beijing-based law firm Lantai Partners, echoed that view in a recent interview with Workers' Daily, a major national newspaper. Cheng said age caps are often used to control labor costs, as older workers may incur higher expenses for wages, healthcare and benefits.
最近，北京兰台律师事务所高级合伙人程阳接受《工人日报》采访时对此观点表示赞同。程阳称，年龄限制常被用来控制劳动力成本，因为年长员工可能在工资、医疗和福利方面产生更高费用。

However, she emphasized that older employees tend to be more experienced and skilled, an