Based on the current financial crisis and the reality of domestic economic and social development, let’s talk about how college students should prepare themselves for careers?

Since the second half of 2008, the financial crisis has brought huge employment pressure to our country. This kind of employment pressure comes from the impact of the financial crisis on the employment of two groups, one is the impact on the employment of migrant workers, and the other is the impact on the employment of college graduates. From a quantitative point of view, the number of migrant workers affected by the financial crisis is much larger than that of college graduates. However, my country's typical dual economic structure makes rural areas become a reservoir of urban employment, playing a buffer role. Unemployed migrant workers can return in the short term. rural areas. The situation is different for college graduates, who are desperate to find a job after leaving school. Among the two major employment groups, migrant workers and college graduates, the employment problem of migrant workers will quickly ease as the economic growth rate increases, and there may even be a shortage of migrant workers again. The current four trillion investment plan launched by the country can also be used in Ease the employment pressure of migrant workers to a great extent. However, for college graduates, the situation is not so optimistic. In the years before the outbreak of the financial crisis, despite the good economic situation, the problem of finding employment for college graduates was always prominent.

In fact, since 2003, the problem of employment difficulties for college students has been a hot issue of social concern. 2011 will be the most unfavorable year for college graduates in recent years. From the supply side, data show that China will have 6.11 million college graduates in 2011, an increase of 520,000 from 2010. In addition, as of 2010, there are still 1.5 million college students who have graduated but have not found a job. They will look for employment opportunities together with fresh graduates. This makes college students who graduated in 2011 face more intense competition. From the demand side, due to the impact of the financial crisis and the economic cycle, the demand for college graduates from employers, mainly enterprises, will decrease significantly. The phenomenon of college graduates becoming unemployed upon graduation will become even more prominent in 2011. To deal with the difficulty in finding a job for college students, it not only requires college graduates to change their concept of job hunting and broaden their scope of job hunting, but also requires active support from governments at all levels and all sectors of society.

There are many reasons for the difficulty in finding employment for college students

There are many reasons for the difficulty in finding employment for college students, among which backward industrial structure, uneven regional development and household registration system are the more prominent reasons. .

An important reason why it is currently difficult for college students to find employment in our country is that the backward industrial structure restricts the demand for college graduates. It can even be said that migrant workers have squeezed out the jobs of college students. The employment of college students is mainly concentrated in the tertiary industry, accounting for a very small proportion of employees in the secondary industry. For a long time, low-end manufacturing with cheap labor as its competitive advantage has become an important channel to promote exports and economic growth. Due to low cultural and skill requirements, migrant workers can become competent after being trained, so many companies would rather recruit migrant workers than college graduates. According to data from the fifth national census in 2000 and data from the 2005 National 1% Population Sample Survey, the proportion of people with a college degree or above among manufacturing employees increased from 5.58% to 7.53%. However, in stark contrast However, the proportion of migrant workers in the manufacturing industry increased from 57.74% to 66.47%. Obviously, the growth of migrant workers in the manufacturing industry is much faster than that of college students. Manufacturing is the industry that absorbs the most labor among non-agricultural employment in my country, with more than 30% of employees nationwide working in the manufacturing industry. Although the manufacturing industry is expanding rapidly, the demand for college graduates has not grown at the same pace. Among the tertiary industries, the wholesale and retail industries are the industries that absorb the most labor. Also because they are still at a relatively low stage of development, the proportion of college graduates employed is also very low. In 2005, employees with college or above accounted for only 8.73%. Migrant workers accounted for 51.74%. In the context of slowing demand growth, when the number of college graduates expands sharply, the problem of employment difficulties also arises. Before the expansion of college enrollment in 1999, the employment problem of college graduates did not constitute a prominent social problem. Starting from 1999, colleges and universities expanded enrollment significantly. As a result, in 2003, when these students were supposed to graduate four years later, the employment problem of college graduates It came to the fore and has since become an issue of widespread concern to society. It can be seen that the imbalance between the supply and demand for college graduates has profound social reasons and cannot be changed in the short term.

Three decades of reform and opening up have not narrowed but widened the gap between the eastern and western regions. This has caused all kinds of labor force to gather in the eastern coastal areas, and the eastern coastal areas are also the first choice for employment of college students. In 2000, employees with a college degree or above accounted for approximately 47.69% in the eastern region. By 2005, this proportion had increased to 53.24%. This makes the competition for talents in the eastern region extremely fierce, and it is increasingly difficult for college graduates to find jobs in the east. Because the gap between urban and rural areas is equally significant, in the same region, talents with college degrees or above often gather in big cities. This causes big cities to exhibit the "Matthew" effect of talent agglomeration, and also makes the competition for job opportunities among college students in big cities very fierce.

Currently, the household registration system still plays an important role in large and medium-sized cities. For college graduates, whether they can obtain a household registration in large and medium-sized cities is a common practical issue when they are looking for a job. For this reason, they often take the civil service examination, enter public institutions or state-owned enterprises as their priority options for job hunting. Although many small and medium-sized enterprises have a strong demand for college graduates, due to the inability to obtain household registration, it is ultimately difficult to recruit or retain college graduates. In the central and western regions, talents with college degrees or above are obviously gathering in the public sector. An important reason is that the public sector can not only solve problems such as settlement, but also has strong advantages in stability and social welfare.

In addition, under the current economic situation, college graduates will encounter more competitive threats during the job search process. The first is the competitive threat from laid-off employees. After losing their jobs, these people are bound to look for new employment opportunities in the labor market. Their rich work experience is obviously a competitive threat to college graduates who are preparing to enter the society. In contrast, college graduates lack work experience and are therefore vulnerable to shocks. Secondly, there is the competitive threat from returnees. Due to the U.S. financial crisis and the resulting economic recession, a large number of international students studying abroad may have difficulty finding suitable job opportunities upon graduation. In addition, those who originally worked overseas and lost their jobs due to the financial crisis may return to their home countries to find jobs. Employment opportunities, which undoubtedly pose a competitive threat to domestic college graduates. In contrast, domestic university graduates may be at a disadvantage in terms of foreign language and professional skills, as well as vision. Take colleges and universities as an example. Since there have been more returnees with Ph.D.s in recent years, this has given colleges and universities more choices. Many colleges and universities often give priority to returnees with Ph.D.s and masters when introducing teachers or researchers. This undoubtedly provides opportunities for locally graduated Ph.D.s and masters. They create huge competitive pressure in the job search process.

Enterprises are the type of units deeply affected by the financial crisis. Therefore, a large number of enterprises will reduce their demand for college graduates in 2011. Graduates from various disciplines who have traditionally been easy to enter enterprises will encounter a cold wave. Applied subjects such as international trade, accounting and computers. On the contrary, government agencies and public institutions have been less affected by the financial crisis, thus highlighting the advantages of such units, which will inevitably make the competition for jobs in these units more intense. For graduates from some unpopular disciplines and majors, their employment has not been significantly affected by the financial crisis because the relationship between supply and demand has been relatively stable over the years.

College graduates should actively adjust their concepts of job hunting

Under the current financial crisis, solving the problem of employment difficulties for college students requires the joint efforts of all sectors of society. From the perspective of college graduates themselves, they need to actively change their concept of job hunting, make full use of national strategic planning and various preferential policies, and focus more on the central and western regions and the old industrial bases in the Northeast that are more in need of talents, invest in small and medium-sized cities, and invest in small and medium-sized enterprises. Enterprises, pay more attention to self-entrepreneurship.

The central and western regions provide college graduates with broad space to display their talents. The eastern coastal region is home to more than half of the country's college graduates, and competition is already very intense. In this financial crisis, the eastern coastal areas have become the hardest hit areas, which makes it more difficult to obtain employment opportunities in the eastern region. On the contrary, the central and western regions have a lower proportion of export-oriented economies and have been relatively less impacted. In addition, the number of university graduates in these two regions is small, and employment competition is not as fierce as in the eastern regions. Under this situation, it is obviously easier to find suitable employment opportunities in the central and western regions.

At present, the basic strategy for my country's macro-regional economic development is to develop the western region and revitalize the old industrial base in the Northeast. Therefore, investment and policies will be tilted accordingly. In this case, university graduates are more likely to work in the old industrial bases in the west and northeast. The base will accordingly have more opportunities and room for development. Similarly, in small and medium-sized cities, because there are relatively few university graduates, competition is not as fierce as in big cities. Once there are suitable employment opportunities, it may be easier to get space to display your talents than in big cities. Moreover, the cost of living in small and medium-sized cities is relatively high. It is low, which can alleviate the life pressure of newly working college graduates and make it easier for them to work with peace of mind.

Small and medium-sized enterprises are a good stage for career development of college graduates. Small and medium-sized enterprises are the main body of employment in our country. However, due to restrictions such as household registration, small and medium-sized enterprises are often not favored by college graduates because they cannot solve the problem of settlement, especially for small enterprises. However, small businesses often have flexible mechanisms, and most are in the growth stage, and are more likely to provide opportunities for the growth of college graduates. Fortunately, in recent days, the State Council has launched a series of relevant policies, including: For enterprises to recruit college graduates or above with non-local registered permanent residence, cities in various regions should cancel the restrictions on their residence. This makes the problem of settling down of college graduates no longer an obstacle limiting their employment. This is undoubtedly a timely help for college graduates who are in a severe employment situation.

Promote employment through entrepreneurship and change from passive to active. This is a positive idea for college graduates when facing the severe employment situation. In recent years, the phenomenon of college students' self-employment has gradually attracted people's attention. Promoting employment through entrepreneurship has become a concept promoted by colleges and universities to college students who are seeking jobs. However, the process of starting a business is bound to be difficult. College students should be fully mentally prepared and make various preparations. Universities and governments at all levels should provide as favorable policies and measures as possible for college graduates to start their own businesses. As early as 2006, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission stipulated that "graduates from ordinary colleges and universities who are engaged in self-employment and whose registration date with the industrial and commercial department is within two years of their graduation shall be exempted from their registration with the industrial and commercial department." All administrative fees related to registration, licenses and management will be exempted for three years. "Obviously, the policy provides convenience for college graduates to start their own businesses. In July 2008, the Ministry of Finance and the National Development and Reform Commission further clarified that university graduates who start their own businesses will be exempted from administrative fees within three years. In addition, the latest preferential employment policies for college graduates specifically support self-employment of college graduates. Specific policies include: Self-employed college graduates who register as unemployed at local public employment service agencies and have insufficient self-raised funds can apply for small guaranteed loans of no more than 50,000 yuan. For partnerships and organized employment, the loan scale may be appropriately expanded in accordance with regulations. The introduction of new policies will undoubtedly provide positive support for college graduates to start their own businesses.

Oriented to the grassroots, integrating urban and rural employment. In my country's vast rural grassroots, there is an extreme shortage of college graduates, and there is a particular shortage of college graduates in some majors related to agricultural production and life, such as agriculture, medicine, forestry and other majors. Currently, my country's rural grassroots are vigorously carrying out new rural construction, which requires the active participation of a large number of college graduates. The recently introduced preferential employment policies for college graduates specifically mention that those employed in rural grassroots and other social management and public service positions in urban communities will be given salary or living subsidies, and they will also participate in relevant social insurance as required. In addition, for college graduates who are employed in rural grassroots units below the county level in the central and western regions and difficult and remote areas and have fulfilled a certain service period, as well as college graduates who are drafted into the army to perform compulsory military service, corresponding tuition fees and student loan reimbursements will be implemented in accordance with regulations. . This means that college graduates have a certain degree of security when they work at the grassroots level.

At present, the government has introduced several policies that are beneficial to the employment of college graduates. The follow-up question is how to effectively implement these policies. Governments at all levels should take various measures to actively implement new policies to help college graduates successfully find employment and work and live in cities with peace of mind. This will also help promote economic growth and expand employment. From an enterprise's perspective, after experiencing the impact of the financial crisis, we should realize that the competitiveness of enterprises with human capital as the core is based on product and technological innovation, good sales channels and logistics management, etc. Many links require the participation of highly educated talents, and competitive advantages should not be based on low labor costs.

The difficulty in finding employment for college students is a long-term problem

As mentioned above, the problem of difficulty in finding employment for college students is of a long-term nature and it will take a long time to adjust and gradually solve it. The financial crisis has had a certain impact on the current difficulty in finding employment for college graduates, making the job search situation more severe for college graduates. However, the financial crisis is not the fundamental reason for the difficulty in finding employment for college graduates.

To solve the problem of employment difficulties for college students, we need to make full use of various favorable policies and measures. As all sectors of society pay attention to the problem of employment difficulties for college students, more and more preferential policies have begun to be formulated and implemented (continued from page 15) (continued from page 7). Governments at all levels from the central to local governments have They have formulated preferential measures with local characteristics. Under the current severe employment situation for college graduates, these preferential policies should be fully and effectively used to enable college graduates to find employment as soon as possible. For example, Shanghai launched a traineeship system for college students relatively early. Employers recruit college students as trainees. If they perform well during the trainee period, they are likely to be converted into full-time employees. This measure solves the problem of role transfer of college graduates from campus to work. It is also very helpful for employers to better understand the work adaptability of college graduates and improve the efficiency of human capital reserves. In addition to Shanghai, many cities have also launched internship systems for college students. For example, Xiamen, Fuzhou, Wuhan, Nanjing, Dalian, Hangzhou, Ningbo and other places have also accumulated certain experience in this regard. After several years of continuous exploration, the internship system for college graduates has become increasingly perfect. Recently, Yangpu District in Shanghai launched 1,000 public service internship positions for college graduates at the same time, attracting a large number of graduates from colleges and universities in Shanghai to apply. In addition to the internship system for college students, there are many local-specific measures to promote the employment of college graduates. Under the current situation, there is an urgent need to summarize and improve effective measures in various places and further promote them so that more college graduates can benefit from them.

From the perspective of college students themselves, they should strive to master professional skills while in school and make full use of various internship opportunities to increase their work experience. You must have a full understanding of the current employment situation and be fully mentally prepared for the various results you may encounter during your job search. In particular, you must have a full understanding of the gap between your major and social needs. College graduates should promptly adjust their job search expectations, take a broader view, and strive to find a job that suits them. Universities and all sectors of society should encourage college graduates to start their own businesses and use entrepreneurship to create employment.