CHINA: A job fair attended by tens of thousands of Chinese university graduates mirror the tough competition they face as the number of graduates outweighs jobs

University students prepare for their biggest test yet - finding a job after graduation. Urban Chinese face a bleak employment outlook as the number of graduates exceed available jobs in China's major cities. Tens of thousands of Chinese students attended a job fair recently in a country that is facing an employment crisis for educated youth. The job fair was held in Beijing, where 1,400 booths have been set up in the cavernous exhibition hall. With thousands of college students crowding the fair's booths, this has been touted as the capital city's largest job fair. But these crowds are just a drop in the bucket. This year there will be 95 million graduates looking for jobs. That is 820,000 more university jobseekers than last year. Universities are increasingly churning out students with four-year degrees. But demand for white collar workers hasn't kept pace as factory workers fuel the drive for China's economy. Ding Zhiguo (pron: deeng djur gwoh) is representing his company - Fenyu Entertainment, a website for celebrity fan clubs - at the fair. He says many applicants lack hands-on experience. "It is not easy to find someone with work experience and relevant skills. Most of the job seekers are college graduates or people of average ability. It is very difficult to find highly-qualified people nowadays," said Ding. Yet students are frustrated that most job openings are searching for those with previous work experience. "Most of the openings are requiring work experience. So for us college graduates, it is very difficult to find a job. I have been looking around for a couple of hours and gave out a few CVs. But it seems there are not many good companies for me to choose from and not many companies I am interested in have showed interest in me," said Song Li (pron: sohng lee), a graduate from Guizhou University. The students are right to be worried. This year nearly 1.5 million of them won't find anything, according to China's Ministry of Education. At the same time the nation is feeling the pinch for skilled workers to keep its industrial machine running at full tilt. China's economy, the world's fourth largest, is likely to enjoy a fifth straight year of double-digit growth in 2007. In order to maintain economic momentum, the nation will need an influx of workers with vocational training. China's Labour Ministry says today only 4 percent of the workforce has vocational skills - the nation needs that to be more like 14 percent. Some students have already latched on to this trend. "Now vocational certificates are valued more than college degrees. If I have no luck finding a job, I am thinking of getting more certificates and making myself more competitive in the future," said Guo Haishan (pron: gwoh hai shahn), a law graduate from the Tianjin Institute of Technology. Today's bleak job prospects have university graduates exploring other options - like maid service. Chuan Meizi (pron: chwahn may dzih) is one of China's largest maid agencies - today it is training a batch of fresh-faced recruits. They are learning the basics - how to prepare food, iron clothes and care for children. Wang Xiaojuan (pron: wahng hsee-ow djoo-ehn) graduated last year from a Sichuan college with a degree in English education. She is just happy to be employed. "Now there are so many people in China, as well as so many college students. It's difficult for people to find jobs. If I can be a housemaid, (it will be good), because it's natural that we should find jobs and earn money after graduation," said Wang, who will earn a salary of 1800 yuan (approx 231 USD) a month in her new position. But it isn't just the educated that are struggling. Urban dwellers across the nation are in dire straights. Only 10 million vacancies will be available this year for 25 million urban Chinese seeking jobs. Tens of millions of workers have been laid off from bankrupt or restructured state enterprises in recent years, posing a headache for a government intent on bridging the gap between the rich and poor.

ITN Source | February 3, 2007

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