Graduate job prospects

It is the time of the year when soon-to-graduate college students are hitting the pavement in search of a career-launching job, but the class of 2014 is having no better luck in landing on their feet than those in the previous graduation season, said a commentary in People's Daily on Wednesday.

The other side of the story is that in the first quarter of this year, millions of new jobs were created in urban areas, which registered an unemployment rate of only 4.1 percent, and the eastern coastal and the western inland regions both have a tough time recruiting workers. Given that, many cannot help but wonder what is causing the job plight for new college graduates.

One idea that has gained popularity these days is that the major obstacle hindering the recent college graduates from securing a job is their long-held view of what constitutes a good job offer.

True, college graduates need to adapt their occupational choices to the reality. Nevertheless, it is unrealistic to expect them to go for jobs in the central and western regions where job opportunities are relatively abundant, if the income gap between the inland and the coastal regions keeps widening.

Neither is it realistic to expect jobs at small-and micro-sized enterprises to become popular, if these businesses on the whole are seen as having operating problems.

Likewise, many college graduates are reluctant to settle down in second-and third-tier cities unless these places offer easy access to healthcare, educational resources and other public services as major cities do.

The plight of recent college graduates, therefore, is not simply a problem arising from their occupational choices. Rather, it is a problem commanding greater efforts at the State level to facilitate balanced development and urbanization, promote fair income distribution and encourage especially the growth of small-and micro-sized companies, in a bid to improve the employment environment, so that college graduates can better cash in on their education.

It is good to know that efforts are underway to address these problems, including the reimbursement of tuition fees for graduates who choose to work in the western regions.

Meanwhile, economic restructuring and upgrading is gaining pace with the boom in high-end manufacturing and modern service sectors, which entails a great demand for talent and thus offers opportunities that college graduates should not dismiss out of hand.