A recently released survey report on the employment of returning Chinese citizens who have studied overseas revealed that the once popular group is now facing unsatisfactory jobs and salaries, China Youth Daily reported on April 23.

Nearly 30 percent of overseas returnees surveyed who found their first job in 2018 earn less than 100,000 yuan (about $14,895) a year, not much more than graduates of top domestic universities, according to the report, which was released on April 21 by UniCareer, a Chinese e-learning career development platform.

Nearly 70 percent of the overseas returnees surveyed have been troubled by issues relating to cultural differences, household registration and schooling, as well as restrictive policies, said the report.

The report also indicated that 30 percent of those surveyed said their first job falls completely short of expectations, while 27 percent of the companies surveyed noted that overseas returnees have a higher self-assessment than they deserve.

Since the implementation of China’s reform and opening-up policy, Chinese people who return to their home country after studying abroad have been popular in the domestic job market for a long time, as studying abroad was regarded as a remarkable and challenging experience.

With the rise in the number of overseas returnees and the tremendous advancement of domestic universities, the craze for these talents in the Chinese job market is gradually decreasing, leading to the disappointment or even regret of some people who made the choice of studying abroad with the aim of becoming more competitive when they returned home.