Graduates face fierce competition to find work

Jobs hard to land due to COVID-19, huge number of candidates

Every summer when millions of graduates leave university campuses for the last time, employment becomes a hot topic in China.

This year, the job market has attracted more attention due to COVID-19 outbreaks and the huge number of candidates－more than 10 million－seeking employment.

The Ministry of Education predicts there will be 10.76 million graduates this year, a rise of 1.67 million compared with last year.

Faced with more competition, these job seekers are also entering the employment market as many companies are cutting back－especially large internet enterprises that traditionally hire young people.

Zhang Xinya, formerly a senior student at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, has been looking for work since the summer vacation last year, 12 months before she graduated.

"When I came to the city for a college education, I was planning to stay in Guangzhou after graduation. Three years have now passed, and I realize this idea is now unrealistic," said Zhang, who comes from Yan'an city, Shaanxi province.

Zhang said she might eventually have to return to her hometown due to the high cost of living in Guangzhou.

To find a job after graduation, she started to look for openings in Xi'an, capital of Shaanxi, which is much closer to home than Guangzhou.