Shanghai wage earners responding to a recent online poll ranked hasty job decisions, lack of overall career planning and work burnout as their top three employment concerns.

Five hundred local employees submitted their opinions during the month-long survey, conducted by the Shanghai Job Promotion Center. More than 300 work-related problems were submitted to the Internet poll.

The issues covered a wide variety of frustrations, difficulties and even pain experienced in the workplace, whether in job seeking, adapting to a new post or managing career development.

The top problem cited was career positioning. Ideally workers should identify the type of job they want based on their age, educational background and ability. But most respondents said that they weren't clear about their place in the job market.

"The biggest issue is that job seekers seem to rashly apply for positions without giving thorough consideration to whether the job is really suitable for them," said Yang Yanhua, an analyst at the Shanghai Job Placement Center.

The responses also suggested that a large number of locals suffer career burnout - or an unhealthy mental and physical state resulting from heavy workloads.

Typical career burnout symptoms include frequent fatigue, anxiety, low mood and lack of work enthusiasm, analysts said. To curb the career problems, the center also kicked off another poll last month that asked locals to pick up top 10 "career doctors." Twenty career doctor candidates, mostly professional human resource analysts or headhunters, have posted advice on the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau's Website (www.12333.gov.cn).

(Shanghai Daily December 9, 2005)