Higher degrees worth less in job searches

As the Spring Festival is coming to an end, graduate students may find it harder to get a desirable job than usual, as a recent survey shows that only 29 percent of students with master's degrees have secured jobs, down from last year.

A survey conducted from December last year to January 2013 by My China Occupational Skills (MyCOS), a higher education consulting and outcome evaluation facility in China, found that only 29 percent of the graduate students surveyed have found jobs, seven percentage points lower than last year, Xinhua News Agency reported Wednesday.

The survey collected 10,940 valid questionnaires, of which 3,802 were from graduate students, 3,699 from undergraduates and 3,439 from graduates of vocational training schools.

According to the survey, 35 percent of postgraduates with an employment history have signed for a job, while 47 percent of fourth-year undergraduates with internship experience have signed, compared to the overall rate of 38 percent.

Another survey by MyCOS found that as of November 14, 2012, employment pressure on postgraduates has increased by three percentage points compared with the same period last year, while pressure for undergraduates has dropped by six percentage points.

"I've spent three years and tens of thousands of yuan getting a master's degree, but ended up with so much difficulty in finding a job... It feels like my graduate school years were a total waste," a graduate student, who wished to be called Li Yan, at the Central China Normal University was quoted by the Outlook Weekly as saying.