Beijing Review – August 15, 2019

http://www.bjreview.com AUGUST 15, 2019 BEIJING REVIEW 31

NATION

Autonomous Region, he got his bachelor’s
degree in a university in Xi’an in the north-
western province of Shaanxi and spent his
internship in Wuhan in the central province of
Hubei. What most concerns him, though, is
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that it is much further from his hometown
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According to a recent report released by
58.com, one of the largest recruitment plat-
forms in China, 88.6 percent of 2019 college
graduates prefer working where they studied
because they are more familiar with the en-
vironment, and their friends, classmates and
teachers may be able to play a helpful role in
their future careers.
“But I have to plan for the future,” Li said,
“Most of my classmates chose to remain in
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restrictions on permanent residence there are
two big concerns for me.”
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it takes nearly an hours’ drive to get to the
city center, mid-range houses sell for 40,000-
50,000 yuan ($5,763-7,204) per square meter
on average, and rent is also higher than other
cities, he added. However, according to the
58.com report, the average starting salary for
new graduates nationwide is 6,423 yuan ($925).
But it’s a different story in many other cit-
ies across the country that feature high-speed
economic development and rising compre-
hensive competitiveness. According to a
report released in May by Yicai Media Group, a
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and Xi’an, are providing new college graduates

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tunities and preferential policies for housing

and permanent residence.

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restrictions on permanent residence for this

year’s college graduates and individuals with

master’s degrees and above who are living

and working in the city. Other migrants can

also apply for registration as permanent ur-

ban residents in the city in accordance with

three other policies, including a merit-based

point system that was established in March.

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a new policy in May to allow those who have

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them with a discount loan.

Li is paying 1,900 yuan ($274) a month

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similar size and distance from the workplace

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($504) per month.

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Shanghai, as well as Guangzhou and Shenzhen

in south China’s Guangdong Province, are still

the most attractive to graduates, other places

are accelerating their chase to catch up with

a robust momentum of economic growth

and supporting policies, showcasing a grow-

ing appeal,” said Zhang Wenlang, a chief asset

analyst with Everbright Securities, a Shanghai-

based brokerage firm, to Eeo.com.cn, a

business portal in China.

Rational job hunters

Young graduates think comprehensively

about income, career development and

personal interests, which constitute the top

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the 58.com report. They are becoming more

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Li once considered transferring to

software development like some of his

classmates since it is a blue-chip position in

the Internet industry, which ranked first in

salary growth among all industries tracked,

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and education. But in the end, he did not be-

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salaries compared to software positions, will

have a brighter career outlook in the future.

Even so, he did transfer to hardware design,

which earns more than hardware processing.

In addition, 93 percent of new college

graduates are willing to work overtime, ac-

cording to the report, which they think is a

way to learn more in a shorter time and im-

prove their personal competitiveness amid

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Despite a growing number of college

graduates, China’s employment market

remains stable, Lin Huiqing, Vice Minister

of Education said at a recent conference.

Despite growing external uncertainties,

China’s economy is resilient and there is

a strong demand for college graduates,

with the business environment for start-

ups getting better and the government

able to respond to various challenges and

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According to the National Bureau of

Statistics, in the first half of the year, there

was an increase in the newly employed in

urban areas, totaling 7.37 million and ac-

counting for 67 percent of the annual target.

However, in June, China’s surveyed urban

unemployment rate was 5.1 percent, 0.1

percentage point higher than the previous

month.

As a next step, the government will focus

on a new model to combine the Internet

with employment to precisely match college

graduates with employers. Meanwhile, atten-

tion will be placed on career development

education for students so they can better

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abilities and limitations, and a special training

will be offered to graduates who have diffi-

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Overall, Li still feels somewhat confused

and uncertain about future developments,

which he thinks is a common issue for most

new graduates. But what he deeply believes

is that while looking up at the stars, one

should also keep one’s feet firmly on the

ground. Q

Job seekers stop at various booths at a recruitment fair in Jinan, east China’s Shandong Province, on July 6

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