Cui Jinjin, a human resources manager at a real estate company in Beijing, signed just four graduates at a fair held on June 21.
"Many new graduates consulted us, but I think most of them were asking just for fun. The salary we offer new graduates is no lower than for office workers, but they feel that earning a living by selling houses is not commensurate with their status as college graduates," Cui said.
Qin Hao, deputy general manager of Jiangsu Allyrise Pharmaceutical Co, echoed that viewpoint, saying the shortage of labor has become a long-term headache.
"I like hiring new graduates because we can train them to become the staff we want them to be. But these 'kids' demand too much in terms of salaries, social healthcare and future promotion instead of expressing a willingness to learn and demonstrate their passion for the company," he said.
Jiangsu Allyrise Pharmaceutical had interviewed more than 300 applicants by the end of May, and half of them were new graduates. However, the graduate applicants only accounted for a small proportion of the 63 workers eventually recruited.
"We prefer people with slightly lower educational backgrounds. They are willing to work hard and make fewer demands on their employers," Qin said.
Yang Weiguo, vice-director of the China Institute for Employment Research, attributed the problem to a failure in the higher education system, saying China's economic structure is at a comparatively lower level and is highly labor intensive. The pace of structural updating doesn't match that of economic growth.
"Although we have made great achievements in aerospace and supercomputers, they do not weigh much in the economic structure. It simply means that companies don't need so many highly qualified workers. Why do factories bother to recruit college students to do a job that can be mastered in just a few days?" he said.
Policy initiatives
The grim employment prospects for graduates have become a social problem and the issue has attracted attention nationwide.
In response, the central government has rolled out policies and measures to boost employment, such as increasing the number of jobs in the western regions and encouraging entrepreneurship.
However, Tang Min, vice-director of Youcheng China Social Entrepreneur Foundation, a nonprofit foundation, said the measures will only be effective over the short term. In the long run, the problem will only be solved by reform of the college system.
Tang suggested that Chinese colleges should adopt European methods and introduce vocational education so students can obtain practical skills to supplement their theoretical knowledge.
"Instead of providing experimental and scientific subjects to cultivate the skills society urgently needs, many universities simply provide low-cost subjects such as finance and law," he said.
"Does our society really need so many economists and executives? The reform should be carried out soon, the sooner the better. Otherwise, the grim employment prospects will continue and that will definitely affect social stability."
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