The Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security recently launched a six-month campaign to promote employment for fresh college graduates and registered jobless youths.

 

During the economic downturn, the youth - normally those aged from 16 to 24 - are bearing increasing pressure to land jobs, especially college graduates, whose population hit a new high of 11.58 million this year.

 

Their surveyed unemployment rate has been rising in the past few months and reached 20.8 percent in May, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. The NBS said that six million young people remain jobless.

 

Facing the tough task of promoting youth employment, the human resources ministry said that it will offer job-seeking guidance and supportive policies on entrepreneurship and skill training to unemployed fresh graduates and jobless youths in the next six months.

 

During the new campaign, the ministry will publish lists of employment services and recruitment channels until the end of this month to let the fresh graduates know where they can get these services. Also, the ministry will set up rosters of registered jobless youths and unemployed college graduates.

 

The ministry will offer one employment policy introduction, one career guidance, three job recommendations and one skills training or internship to these unemployed graduates and youths during the period.

 

Job fairs will be organized online and on-site. The ministry said it will improve job services to let youths get information or job-seeking guidance within a 15-minute walk.

 

Skills training programs on flexible jobs, and the advanced manufacturing and services industries will be available to jobless graduates and youths, and companies are encouraged to take youths and undergraduates as apprentices.

 

Mao Yufei, an associate professor of the School of Labor Economics of Capital University of Economics and Business, said there is a disparity between the increasing supply of college graduates and insufficient demand from employers.

 

"The nation is in a critical period of boosting companies' confidence and encouraging people to increase their consumption to relieve the economic downturn pressure, which intensifies the shortage of effective demand from employers," he said.

 

He added that the shortage of internships and practical experience poses greater challenges to graduates who need to switch their mindset from "student" to "employee" and deal with interpersonal relationships and the work environment.

 

According to a recent report by recruitment portal Zhaopin, industries including consultancy, the internet and real estate offered nearly 60 percent of the vacancies available on the platform as of May.

 

College graduates majoring in finance, law, accounting and computing, as well as management are favored by recruiters, said Zhaopin.

 

Mao, the associate professor, said that authorities can make full use of internship policies, which is an important way to relieve the current employment pressure in the short term.

 

"It's necessary to enhance project-based internships to improve youths' professional and digital skills, as well as 'soft skills', to meet market demands," he said.