Resolve mismatch between education and job market

The difficulties graduates face finding jobs should not be attributed to their education, but to the mismatch between education and the job market, says an article (excerpts below) in the 21st Century Business Herald.

Only 30 percent of graduates this summer in Guangdong have so far signed employment contracts. This represents a drop of 10 percentage points year-on-year.

Guangdong, the most economically robust region of Pearl River Delta, should have plenty of job offerings.

But migrant workers, especially skilled workers, are more popular than university graduates.

The first-time employment rate of college graduates is about 70 percent. Some graduates work as waitresses and dishwashers in restaurants and they earn less than migrant workers.

Education authorities must respond to the low employment rate by reforming higher education structure to address the mismatch between education and employment.

China's current development stage demands more skilled workers and polytechnics. The universities, after expanding their enrollment since 2003, should adjust to the practical demands of today's job market.