Jobs hard to land due to COVID-19, huge number of candidates
Every summer when millions of graduates leave university campuses for the last time, employment becomes a hot topic in China.
This year, the job market has attracted more attention due to COVID-19 outbreaks and the huge number of candidates－more than 10 million－seeking employment.
The Ministry of Education predicts there will be 10.76 million graduates this year, a rise of 1.67 million compared with last year.
Faced with more competition, these job seekers are also entering the employment market as many companies are cutting back－especially large internet enterprises that traditionally hire young people.
Zhang Xinya, formerly a senior student at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, has been looking for work since the summer vacation last year, 12 months before she graduated.
"When I came to the city for a college education, I was planning to stay in Guangzhou after graduation. Three years have now passed, and I realize this idea is now unrealistic," said Zhang, who comes from Yan'an city, Shaanxi province.
Zhang said she might eventually have to return to her hometown due to the high cost of living in Guangzhou.
To find a job after graduation, she started to look for openings in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, which is much closer to home than Guangzhou.
"There is no doubt that COVID-19 outbreaks have made it difficult for those seeking work. I lined up for several hours to attend job fairs, but couldn't even get my resume accepted because of the fierce competition," she said.
This summer, students are bracing themselves for even tougher competition in the race to find employment. As a result, many graduates have lowered their salary expectations.
According to a recently released report of the 2022 College Students Employability Survey by the jobs website Zhaopin, the average expected monthly salary among new graduates this year has fallen to 6,295 yuan ($934), the first such decline in recent years. Last year, the comparable figure was 6,711 yuan.
Lin Fan, a newly graduated college student in Beijing, said no matter how difficult it was, he would try his best to remain in the capital to fulfill his dream of becoming an entrepreneur.
"I might start on a low salary at a small company, but I believe things will get better as long as I keep working hard," he said.
Instead of looking for work this year, some young people have turned to postgraduate education, but they also face intense competition.
According to official data, the number of students applying for postgraduate exams this year reached a record high of 4.57 million, meaning that about 3 million students will fail to be enrolled in colleges for postgraduate education.
Those that do not land college places will either have to find work or prepare to take such exams next year.
Many vloggers on the Bilibili short-video platform have told of their disappointment at failing to take postgraduate examinations, with some of the vlogs going viral.
After returning to their hometowns, these students rediscovered cherished family ties that were lost when they became immersed in their studies.
One vlogger said: "New joys and troubles will come with the new phase of life, which may not be as wonderful as expected. When you accept your failure, you start a new journey."
Different approach
Outbreaks of COVID-19 have increased the difficulties for young job seekers, especially this year, but the disease may also have prompted a changed mindset.
Niu Yi, a second-year postgraduate student majoring in English translation at Xi'an International Studies University in Shaanxi, began her internship during the spring semester in Shanghai－a city she has always been fond of.
She thought that as one of the most developed and open cities in China, Shanghai was the ideal place for students majoring in English to show their expertise.
Niu welcomed the valuable opportunity to intern in the city, but the local COVID-19 outbreak significantly disrupted her plans.
"I worked at a company for only two weeks after arriving in Shanghai, before we were asked to stay home on March 12.Eight days later, I was in lockdown," she said.
"I did translation work from home, covering various fields from machinery to life sciences, which was beyond my scope of learning at college."
Niu said even though her internship was monotonous due to COVID-19, she gained more than just a working experience.
"I made some progress at work at a time when life was far from easy. As a result, I am now more determined than ever to fulfill my ambition of becoming a translator," she said.
Moreover, Niu said the experience of working during the outbreak changed her opinion that she would find it difficult to live in Shanghai.
"I used to think I would not be able to survive in such a competitive city," she said.
"But after arriving in Shanghai, seeing everything happening, and getting through this difficult time, I realize that you should not become trapped by barriers in your imagination. Cities have no barriers, but you need to be persistent to adapt to different circumstances."
To help graduates find jobs quickly and more easily, universities are providing services in a number of ways.
In addition to giving advice to graduates and holding job fairs, some university leaders have approached companies in person to discuss talent cooperation.
For example, the president and several vice-presidents of Beijing Technology and Business University visited Lenovo, BOE Technology Group, Easyhome and several industrial parks to increase job opportunities and discuss the cultivation of talent.
Minzu University of China has conducted surveys among students to find their ideal jobs and better prepare them to deal with employment policies and strategies.
Online and offline job fairs have also been held during COVID-19 outbreaks to help graduates find work.
The Ministry of Education stated recently that graduates face a complicated and severe employment situation this year due to numerous factors, and universities should step up efforts to explore more job possibilities and offer additional services for students.
Many students are now spending a third year studying online since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. Their work includes important steps such as final thesis defense before graduation.
However, despite the challenges they face, including COVID-19 and the pressure to find work, these young people have firm confidence in the future.
In the spring, students in many cities were unable to return to campuses due to COVID-19 outbreaks. In some places, they could not attend university for the entire semester.
Universities had to go online to hold thesis defenses and award degrees to students unable to attend in person.
Online discussion
On April 16, graduates from Communication University of China, Nanjing, held an online meeting to discuss thesis defenses with their teacher. The participants could see each other on their phone screens.
After the meeting, the teacher read out every student's name and said: "You have passed the thesis defense. Congratulations and happy graduation."
A round of applause coming from dozens of phones was accompanied by tears of delight among the students, many of whom used their phones to record the occasion.
Finally, the teacher quoted a sentence from A Lifelong Journey, a novel by Liang Xiaosheng, to the students: "I hope that you can always be with loved ones after the ups and downs in life."
For the past three years, to mark National Youth Day on May 4, Bilibili has produced a video themed on young people.
The video used to advocate innovation, hard work and independent thinking, viewed by some observers as a powerful and enthusiastic approach.
However, this year a softer line was taken in the video, with Nobel laureate Mo Yan invited to write a letter to young people who may be feeling a little lost in view of the tough situation they face.
Mo told them in the video that they should not be "blown down by the strong winds" that he experienced in his childhood.
The video encouraged the young to persevere in difficult times and wait for success to come along.
Yao Yuxin contributed to this story.
If you have any problems with this article, please contact us at app@chinadaily.com.cn and we'll immediately get back to you.
