Chinese company that set deadline for single workers to get married responds to criticism | World News

A company in China that introduced a policy threatening single employees with termination if they were not married by the end of September says it has withdrawn its notice.

The Shuntian Chemical Group, based in eastern China’s Shandong province, told its 1,200 employees last month that any unmarried workers aged between 28 and 58, including those who are divorced, were required to “resolve your personal marriage issues” by 30 September.

“If not completed by the first quarter, you must write a self-reflection,” its announcement read, according to Sky News’ US partner NBC News.

“If not completed by the second quarter, the company will conduct an evaluation.

“If you cannot get married and establish a family by the third quarter, the company will terminate your labour contract,” it continued. “Please take note.”

The notice also criticised single employees for “not responding to the national call” to marry and have children, accusing them of being “disloyal and disobedient to parental advice.”

The announcement came amid the Chinese government’s ongoing push to encourage younger generations to get married and have children in order to counter the country’s declining birth rate.

But the chemical group’s notice received backlash on social media.

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Chinese media reported that officials from the local human resources and social security bureau visited the company on 13 February and pointed out that the policy violated Chinese labour law.

The company withdrew it by the next day.

Someone from the Shuntian Chemical Group, who did not provide their name, told NBC News: “This announcement has been withdrawn because some of the words used were inappropriate.”

The latest government data shows the number of new marriages in China fell by a fifth last year – the biggest drop on record – while the population fell in 2024 for the third consecutive year, to 1.408 billion.