Some college grads are taking it easy on job front
Print Edition
While most Chinese college graduates are busy settling into new jobs, some have decided to delay the working world for now and wait out a tough job-hunting season.
Li Yu from Anhui Agricultural University is among 7.49 million new Chinese college graduates this year 鈥 a record high. Instead of looking for jobs, he spent the summer studying at several agricultural zones in east China鈥檚 Anhui Province.
鈥淚 want to spend some time gaining experience in farm management,鈥 he said.
鈥淚t will help me start my own farm and allow me to run it better in the future.鈥
This year鈥檚 job-hunting season saw 220,000 more graduates hit the market than in 2014, and slowing economic growth has meant diminished recruitment of new grads by companies.
According to the National Bureau of Statistics, the unemployment rate of college graduates stood at 7.74 percent, well above the average. Some college students, like Li, have chosen to remain jobless after graduation to pursue travel, startups, or volunteering instead.
鈥淲hatever we choose to do, most of us are looking for what鈥檚 best for us,鈥 Li said. 鈥淎s long as what we are doing now is beneficial to our future, it is a smarter choice than getting hired upon graduation.鈥
Wang Man, 25, who graduated last year, agrees with Li. She rejected a secretary position with a company in Hefei, capital of Anhui Province, and has been traveling since then.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 like monotonous work,鈥 she said. 鈥淭o be frank, I haven鈥檛 decided what to do yet. It won鈥檛 do me any good to define my career hastily.鈥
Supporters applaud these young people for throwing off outdated thinking and advocating a fresh attitude toward employment.
鈥淧erhaps if you slow things down a bit and look around the world, you can map out your future more precisely,鈥 said Du Mengjie, 26, founder and CEO of Chinese crowd-funding website Dreammore.
However, some critics disapprove of this trend toward 鈥淣EETs鈥 鈥 adults 鈥渘ot in employment, education or training鈥 who live off their parents.
鈥淐hanging employment attitudes are no excuse for time-wasting and sidestepping,鈥 said sociologist Fan Hesheng.
Xia Shanjing, 25, from Xi鈥檃n, capital of northwest Shaanxi Province, has decided to end her year of joblessness. She鈥檚 preparing for the civil servant recruitment exam.
鈥淚 feel disconnected from society if I don鈥檛 work,鈥 she said.
Experts noted that if resume gaps are too long, the confidence and competitiveness of young job-seekers might be bruised. 鈥淚t would be better to set yourself a deadline,鈥 said Tian Yipeng, vice dean of School of Philosophy and Society at Jilin University. 鈥淲hen it takes longer than you expected, it鈥檚 time for you to get a job first and come down to earth.鈥
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