Job security starts to supersede study

Seeking certainty

Zhou Xintong from Shandong province decided not to take the postgraduate studies exam and instead is preparing for the provincial authorities recruitment exam in spring because it "has more certainty".

Based in a populous province renowned for the competitiveness of its provincial exams, Zhou discovered in November that six of her classmates studying Chinese language and literature intended to apply for the same university she was aiming to get into.

Due to a lack of confidence in her English proficiency, Zhou said she worried every night about failing the exam and having no time to prepare for other recruitment tests.

"Frankly speaking, with a goal of seeking certainty, I can't afford to take the risk," Zhou said.

For graduate students there are many avenues to get into the civil service. Central authorities and their branches recruit students through the national civil service exam. However, they can also take exams for provincial authorities and positions at local government-related institutions as a backup.

"No matter what the choice is, I don't want to end up with nowhere to go after graduation," she said.

Figures from the Education Ministry show the number of China's college graduates in 2024 is expected to reach 11.79 million, a year-on-year increase of 210,000, posing a new challenge for the country's job market.

To address the employment issues graduates are facing, the ministry launched an action plan to promote employment and entrepreneurship of graduates in 2024.

A meeting was held at the University of Electronic Science and Technology of China in Chengdu on Dec 28 to exchange ideas about supply and demand in the job market.

More than 400 higher learning institutions and 150 enterprises participated in the meeting to discuss collaboration on internships, career planning, teaching personnel and recruitment of graduates, with the aim of promoting high-quality and full employment for college graduates, the ministry said.