The first groups of college graduates since the government enlarged
enrollment in universities are encountering pressure in the job
market. Educational specialists who are attending the First Session
of the 10th National People's Congress and the First Session of the
10th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political
Consultative Conference denied that the increase in education
enrolment is a cause for job market place pressure.
Hou Zixin, deputy to the 10th National People's Congress (NPC) and
president of Nankai University denied that enlargement in the
education sector had such a negative effect for graduates.
In
an interview with China.org.cn, he said, "If these students don't
accept higher education, they will still have to search for a job
in that market without qualifications and that would postpone their
employment prospects further."
"Top planner, Zeng Peiyan, promised in his report to the on-going
session of the 10th NPC he would announce 8 million new positions
in the job market. The number of graduates this year will be far
less than that number so it should be possible for graduates to
find the work they seek," he said.
He
said that the increase in pressure for the applicants was in the
graduate's stubborn notions.
"College students are now quite picky. They don't want to work in
some sectors like the service sector which they think is not
suitable for them," Hou said.
Many graduates think only about the money when taking their
graduate job, he added.
"With the adjustment of industries like IT, the number of positions
available is influenced by global and local factors and so there
can inevitably be a sharp fluctuation. What's more, China has over
100 million surplus workers in the country so it is inevitable that
graduates will face some pressure," Hou said.
However Hou does think that graduates need not be worried as talent
is still in great demand where as labor is in abundance.
He
thinks that with a key university like Nankai it is possible to
improve the overall quality of the graduate instead of simply
enlarging enrollment.
Yuan Guiren, a member of the 10th CPPCC National Committee and vice
minister of education, holds a similar view. In an earlier
interview with China.org.cn, he said that in the next few years
enrollment in Chinese universities would not maintain its previous
momentum but would have an annual growth of just 5 percent.
He
said that enrollment enlargement didn't contradict a graduate's
prospects.
"In the past, the government and universities didn't attach great
importance to graduate employment but now it has been given the
priority it deserves," Yuan told China.org.cn.
(China.org.cn by Staff Reporter Tang Fuchun, March 14, 2003)