SARS impact on job market exaggerated: official
4/6/2003 16:06
Negative affects of the SARS outbreak on the job market for this
year's university graduates have been exaggerated, Liu Dawei, vice director of
the higher education department of the Ministry of Education, said
yesterday.
Liu made the comment during an interview with the China Youth
Daily in response to recent media reports that fewer graduates have sought jobs
this year as many large job fairs have been canceled due to SARS.
Liu
admitted the success rate for new graduates is lower than usual, but said it's a
result of several factors.
As well as fewer on-site job fairs, he blamed
a larger number of graduates, lack of new job positions, insufficient government
policies and unrealistically high expectations of job seekers.
About 2.12
million university graduates are competing for jobs this year, Liu said, the
first crop of new graduates since China adopted a university enrollment
expansion four years ago.
The volume is 46 percent higher than last year,
while the job supply remains similar, especially after the SARS outbreak. The
outbreak has battered many businesses, particularly in the food service and
tourism sectors.
High expectations for salary and benefits have also
prevented many new graduates from taking lower paid jobs, Liu added.
He
urged the students to adjust their career goals and adapt to the existing
reality in the job market.
To help graduates find jobs, Liu said the
education ministry would organize more job fairs on the Internet rather than
on-site events, a move to prevent the spread of SARS.
In early June, for
example, the ministry will hold a nationwide job fair week on its web site.
About 10,000 companies have registered to join the fair and 100,000 students
have logged on to find jobs, he said.
The State Council has rolled out 11
new measures to help graduates find jobs, including a security system for job
seekers and improved job market service, Liu added.
Jane Chen / Shanghai Daily news
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