At the same job fair, Li Junkai held the best booth at the entrance to the hall. She does not represent an enterprise, but is the deputy director of the Peking University Job Center. She says it is understandable that university and college graduates are exploring different options, and state organs and public service units have been attracting large numbers of applicants. If one gets the chance, one should be prepared to work in this kind of unit. However, it is unrealistic to think all the graduates can pile into government organizations, and the competition will be increasingly tough. At this time, taking the exam for postgraduate study or going abroad for further study are both advisable. Peking University Job Center offers seminars on career planning and job consultations in order to broaden students' minds.

Don't Be Blind Nor Pessimistic

"Graduates should be objective in facing the current job market. Changing pressure into motivation, lowering expectations, enhancing work capabilities, and willing to start from the lowest position may allow graduates to catch more work opportunities," suggests Li Junkai. She says graduates must fling away blind or pessimistic emotions. Due to national strategies, some domestic pilot units are still capable of expanding their recruitment. "China Telecom, China Mobile, and the Large Civil Aircraft Project of China Commercial Aircraft Co., Ltd. all state that their recruitment quotas this year will be significantly increased."

Moreover, some joint-venture enterprises will maintain their investment increase in China and expand staff quotas. There are still some industries feeling less impact from the downturn, like quick consumables and tertiary industries.

Li Junkai holds that the basic aspects of the Chinese economy have remained unchanged, and its impetus still powerful – an essential guarantee for graduates to find jobs. Meanwhile, several bailout plans to expand domestic demand have been implemented, which will see a two-year investment of RMB 4 trillion. Although these new measures will take time to evince their long-term results, their positive effects on the job market is apparant.

"Active job policies must be carried out to make the employment situation stable." The Central Government Economy Workshop at the end of 2008 came up with this point as the main economic task of 2009. To overcome the challenge of the job market, the Central Government Economy Workshop did an unprecedented mapping out of relevant policies.

At the end of last year, at a symposium held at Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Premier Wen Jiabao told students that before long the government would take a series of actions to promote graduate employment. Large senterprises, especially innovative enterprises, will be encouraged to expand recruitment. Institutions and universities should absorb graduates to work on their significant hi-tech projects. Relevant government departments should advocate graduates working at the grassroots units, taking further education and having more training.

The Ministry of Education cooperated with ten national organs like the Ministry of Railways and the Ministry of Commerce in organizing 13 cyber job fairs from November 2007 to June 2008. Vice Minister Zhang Xiaojian of Human Resources and Social Security says, "This year the main program is to organize Internet job fairs and spot recruitments. Accompanying this will be different kinds of activities, such as career planning, policy consulting, business start-up services and so on. We hope all these are helpful for graduates to find jobs."