Graduate Employment in China

Abstract

To sustain economic growth and social security China needs to increase the investment in its human capital by revamping the nation's education and employment systems. Further impetus in this direction came from China's accession to the WTO in 2002 requiring a response to global market forces that also permeated the domestic labor market characterized by a vast pool of human resources, fierce competition, and an imbalance between labor supply and demand. Increased global competition equally affects the Chinese higher education sector, graduates' employment prospects, and the transition from higher education to employment. Embedded in an overview of the present status of China's human capital, a case study of Jiujiang Financial and Economic College in Jiangxi serves as an example from a less developed and researched region, highlighting challenges and concerns for graduates in the crucial transition from higher education to employment. It is argued that students in China inevitably and rapidly need to redefine and adjust their perception, expectation, and approach towards future employment. Taking direct responsibility and initiative for their education to ensure their employability has become imperative for China's new generation of manpower entering one of the world's toughest labor markets.