Govt goes extra mile to match jobs and seekers

Over 10 million vacancies to be compiled to maximize access to opportunities

The central government has undertaken more effective ways of channeling information about vacancies to job seekers, especially college students, who are facing greater employment pressure as graduation season approaches.

The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security launched a three-month campaign on Tuesday, under which it will collect over 10 million vacancies from companies and grassroots government bodies for college students and other job seekers.

The employment of college students has been highly stressed by governments of all levels as the number of graduates has continued increasing in the past few years — reaching 11.58 million this year, and putting great pressure on the job market.

Under the campaign, directors of local human resources bureaus are encouraged to visit companies and industrial zones to collect information on vacancies. The ministry is also encouraging commercial human resources agencies, industrial associations and social organizations to get involved in the campaign.

According to the ministry's latest release, some professional job fairs will be organized in the sectors of pharmaceuticals, healthcare, information technology and manufacturing, which have higher demand for labor. Job fairs will also be organized in provinces and cities that are more attractive to college students for landing jobs.

Online job fairs and interview guidance offered by the ministry and local human resources departments will be available to job seekers during the next three months.

Universities have played a more active role in helping college students to connect with employers. Jin Yuanyuan, deputy director of the employment and entrepreneurship center of Beijing University of Technology, said the university has organized 25 job fairs since September.

She said these fairs have attracted nearly 1,400 companies, offered over 80,000 vacancies and received over 10,000 attendees.

Li Qiang, vice-president of recruitment portal Zhaopin, said the job market is facing increasing pressure from the growing population of fresh college graduates and those graduates who haven't landed jobs.

"Universities have increased admission quotas to liberal arts students while companies show higher preferences for hiring science students, which may cause employment imbalances," he said. "College graduates have also changed their preferences for employers in the past few years, from some innovative small and medium-sized companies to State-run companies offering more stable jobs. That's also a problem."

He suggested that universities cooperate with companies to optimize their curriculum and majors suitable to the market's needs. The companies can also offer students more internship opportunities to help them master some practical working skills.

"The government can also encourage college graduates to expand their employment possibilities, including starting their own businesses, getting part-time jobs or taking flexible jobs. Employers can give more flexible recruitment policies and put a focus on college graduates' abilities and potential more than on their educational background," he added.