College graduates hunt jobs at a job fair. (File photo/Chinanews.com)
(ECNS) – Most of this year's new graduates from Chinese colleges and universities are optimistic about the job market despite a lackluster economy, and an average monthly salary lower than 5,000 yuan ($764) is acceptable to them.
This year, 7.56 million students will graduate from Chinese colleges and universities, setting a new record high.
A report provided by recruitment website Zhaopin.com showed that more than half of college graduates regarded this year's employment situation as "acceptable." The report attributed their optimism to the fact that graduates had yet to experience competition in the job market, as well as the fact that they had lived relatively comfortable lifestyles, having predominantly been born in the 1990s, when China became economically better-off on the whole.
Sun Tiantian (pseudonym), who will graduate from Northwest Normal University this year, told CNS the most important thing was to do what one loved to do. "I believe love and effort will definitely help me live the kind of life I want."
Sun expected a monthly salary of around 5,000 yuan. However, a report by Zhaopin.com showed the expected monthly salary of college graduates averaged 4,985 yuan, and a survey by 58.com, China's equivalent of Craigslist, indicated that more than 60 percent of this year's graduates expected a monthly salary lower than 4,000 yuan. Classifieds website Ganji.com also said that more than half of new college graduates expected a monthly salary under 3,000 yuan.
The figures showed that college graduates may have underestimated their market value, said Liu Kan, an executive of recruitment information at 58.com. On the other hand, it was also possible that some graduates prioritized simply becoming employed before worrying about further career planning.
Tong Chao, a senior recruitment consultant at Zhaopin.com, said many college graduates complained about a gap between their expected salaries and the actual amount enterprises were willing to pay. "It also indicates that college graduates' capabilities are yet to be recognized by employers."
At a teleconference on employment and entrepreneurship among graduates, which was held in Beijing on May 20, it was vowed that various parties would make efforts to expand employment channels, to ensure that this year's employment levels would not fall short of last year's amid downward pressure on the economy.
