In the blink of an eye, half of 2020 has already passed by. This May and June, which should have been the peak season for graduates' job search and signing, were delayed by the coronavirus pandemic. Offline recruitment activities were cancelled, and pay cuts and layoffs by large and small companies significantly reduced the scale of recruitment. All of this has worsened the already serious employment problem of college students this year.
The 8.74 million graduates and the economic downturn under the COVID-19 epidemic have both made job searching more difficult. College graduates in 2020 have finally encountered the "hardest graduation season in history." In accordance with established practice, graduates need to sign an employment situation questionnaire during the graduation season to facilitate school statistics on the employment situation of graduates after graduation. In previous years, the employment rate of such statistics was generally above 80% or more than 90%. However, at present, a number of relevant persons from the employment offices of key universities have stated that the employment rate of universities this year is 10-30 percentage points lower than in previous years.
Before the impact of the COVID-19 epidemic, the employment situation of graduates in 2020 was already more complicated than in previous years because of the high number of graduates. This spring Wang Hui, director of the Department of College Students, said that there will be 8.74 million college graduates in 2020. The figure increased to 400,000 from that of last year, according to China’s Ministry of Education (MOE), meaning the competition for jobs grew fiercer this year. As for the development of new formats and flexible employment, it is very dependent on the total market demand.
The graduation season under the epidemic situation is full of more difficulties and obstacles than in previous years. A professor at Wuhan University said, "some graduates have experienced life and death in their families, and they have to be brave enough to find a job and continue to live." In such a market environment, to help solve the employment problem of students, colleges and universities have to frequently take measures and changes. Alumni associations are the first target of colleges and universities. As early as March 29th, China University of Political Science and Law had published the jointly signed "2020 graduates' employment recommendation open letter" on its official website to recommend graduates of the school to employers from all walks of life. The School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Nanjing University has also issued a letter of help, hoping that employers and alumni will provide employment for graduates.
It is not only colleges and universities that frequently try to solve the employment problem. The “100-day sprint” action for the employment of college graduates in 2020 organized by the Ministry of Education this year has ten key special activities, the most striking of which is the plan to expand the enrollment of teachers. This entails "taking the post first, then obtaining the certificate." However, some experts worry that the expansion of teachers and community posts depends on local financial investment, and the current financial situation may not be so optimistic. According to the previous survey on the employment intention of university graduates, the first company that graduates want to go to is actually private enterprises, which can reach more than 40% in previous years. The government's measures such as the expansion of post-graduate enrollment can play a temporary role, but to fundamentally solve the employment problem, it still depends on the development of the economic situation.
Under the current circumstances, graduates should change the mindset of "there are no good jobs, so I won't work.” Don’t have too high a standard and unrealistic expectations. After you have a job and income, you can consider other possibilities. and later on you can have more options.
Article by George Cao
Images by online resources
