Working priorities shift for new graduates

A job seeker receives interview at a job fair for postgraduates in Beijing, capital of China, Dec 18, 2014. About 18,000 opportunities were offered at the fair. [Photo/Xinhua]

More young people set sights on growth opportunities, good salaries

For Chinese college students, jobs in the Chinese government or at State-owned enterprises, government-funded institutions and NGOs have become less and less appealing in the past three years.

Recent survey of online jobs site Zhaopin Ltd found that only 36 percent of Chinese college students still want to work within the "system", which refers to governments or government-related organizations in 2014.

The percentage was as high as 54 percent in 2012.

Among the top 10 employers of 2014 in the eye of college students, only two are State-owned enterprises－China Telecom and ZTE.

More and more college students prefer to work "outside the system", including in multinational companies, private companies or even their own startup business, the survey shows. Internet companies are gaining much more attention than before.

Liao Wenyu, a senior student at Beijing Normal University, said she prefers to work in a place where she can achieve her personal values instead of one where she is holding an "iron rice bowl".

"The parents' generation prefers to have jobs with a fixed income with no risk of bankruptcy and being laid off, so they'd like me to work as a civil servant or teacher, but I'd rather not," Liao said. "I care more about the work environment, opportunity for growth, and a salary that can support a decent life in modern cities like Beijing."

Wang Wenping, human resources director with Qihoo 360 Technology, said the company is trying to attract talent by encouraging innovation, which has proved good for talent recruiting as well as the ompany's development.

"The majority of our team is very young. The post-'80 generation accounts for most of our staff members," Wang said. "In our daily work, we will not put limitations on the work. For an example, if you have a good idea, you can report directly to the president."

Wang said the 360 portable Wi-Fi router is the result of innovation from a group of young people in their company.

"The president will also talk directly to the talented people we are interested in," Wang said. "We will not say that we are the best employer. People can find that out from the salaries we offer, the working environment as well as the attention they get from the high level."

Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin Ltd, said the trend mentioned earlier in the article is closely related to the ongoing economic and industrial adjustment.

"The college students are not as keen to be civil servants or working for State-owned enterprises as before. I think this is a good trend. Because it means that private sector and even midsize and small enterprises are becoming more appealing," Guo said. "The means the monopoly of State-owned enterprises in certain fields is not as strong as before."

"Besides, China is also undergoing transformation to green and service-orientated industry and expects consumption to be the new engine of growth," added Guo. "This also has some effect on job election."

Su Zhou contributed to this story.