Too old for Beijing(2)

Taking action

Zhang and some of the QQ group members petitioned the office of the Communist Party of China and the Beijing municipal government, The Economic Observer said.

They have written a letter to the director of the human resources and social security bureau, detailing their complaints in both practical and legal terms. "Your judgment might make or shatter the Chinese dream that many college students have in their hearts," the letter reads. "We earnestly request that the leaders of the bureau establish age limit policies for graduating students based on the real situation, and give us an opportunity to realize our Chinese dream."

Dong filed a formal request to the human resources and social security bureau on Thursday, asking the bureau to release an official statement on the age limits, as well as factual and legal evidence supporting the advice, and the process of how the advice was formulated.

"Through a few verbal announcements, (the bureau) made us lose opportunities. This shows its lack of respect for the large number of graduating students and the government's arbitrariness when setting a policy," she said, adding that she has received no response so far.

Soft advice or hard policy?

After media reports on the age limit sparked a public outcry, the human resources and social security bureau stressed that the policy is merely "instructive advice" for government agencies and State-owned enterprises in Beijing, which mostly employ graduating students fresh out of universities. The bureau also said that companies that have already signed contracts this year with fresh graduates older than the age limit could give applications to the bureau and help the students get hukou.

However, Guo Bin, director general of the Equity & Justice Initiative, a Shenzhen-based non-profit organization focusing on fair employment opportunities, told the Global Times that the seemingly flexible "instructive advice" will still be discriminatory against older non-Beijing graduates.

"State-owned enterprises are likely to take this soft advice as a hard policy, in order to avoid unnecessary risks and the paperwork when hiring non-Beijing graduates exceeding the age limits," Guo said. "This forces these graduates not to apply for jobs offered by State-owned enterprises, limiting the students' choices in terms of career opportunities and the enterprises' choices of suitable employees."

It will add pressure to the labor market in the long run, he added.

According to the People's Daily, the bureau said non-Beijing job seekers older than the age limits could obtain hukou as "mature imported talents."

This is easier said than done.

Imported talent has to be hired by technology companies or other advanced enterprises in Beijing, have signed a contract with the employer for more than a year, and have at least a master's degree in a major that's in high demand or a bachelor's degree with a senior professional title, a staff member of the human resources and social security bureau told the Global Times.

These requirements rule out many graduates, Guo said.