Jobseekers advised against being too picky

By Xin Dingding (China Daily)
Updated: 2009-03-10 07:45

College graduates have been told to change their attitude by a top Chinese university official who warned they could not afford to be so picky when it comes to finding a job during the global financial turmoil.

An estimated 5 million students face unemployment this year, according to government figures, thanks mainly to a shocking decline in the number of opportunities amid the economic slowdown.

Zhou Qifeng (2nd from left), president of Peking University, stands with four other presidents of top universities in China, at a NPC press conference. [China Daily]

But while every effort is being made to help them find work, the worrying situation calls for them to ditch traditional views on "suitable careers" and instead shift their searches to other job markets, Zhou Qifeng, president of Peking University, said at a NPC press conference.

"Many people discriminate against servile work and think college graduates should only seek professional and comfortable careers," Zhou said.

"In such a harsh situation, I call on students and society to change the concept and show respect to all kinds of jobs."

Around 6 million graduates will enter the tough job market this year, adding to the 2 million still without work after leaving universities last year, Cai Jiming, deputy director of the Institute of Economics at Tsinghua University, said on Saturday.

But only 36 percent - around 3 million - are expected to find jobs, added Cai, a Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference delegate.

The effect of the global recession has been all too visible at job fairs, added Huang Daren, president of Sun Yat-sen University in Guangzhou and a deputy to the National People's Congress.

Huang said an event on his campus featuring 500 international firms saw a 40-percent reduction in the number of opportunities offered this year. "It was quite a shock," he said.

However, all five assured the employment rate for graduates from their universities had not fallen greatly.

Huang said his university has only seen a 1 percent drop this year compared with last year, while Shandong University president Xu Xianming said his had fallen 3 percent.

"If key universities are suffering from a serious unemployment problem, then other universities in the country will face a serious disaster," Li Peigen, president of Huazhong University of Science and Technology, added.