Tian Chengping, minister of labor and social security, admitted at yesterday's press conference that the employment situation is still serious although more than 10 million new jobs were created last year.

Pressure will continue to create more jobs as the baby boomers born in the 1980s join the labor force.

Restructuring State-owned enterprises will push more laid-off workers into the job market. In addition, millions of university graduates are entering the job market every year, with the number of new graduates reaching a record 4.95 million this summer. At the same time, more laborers from rural areas will continue to seek their fortunes in urban areas.

Adding last year's university graduates who are still jobless, the total number of university graduates seeking jobs will be more than 6 million this year. The minister puts the total of this year's estimated job seekers at 24 million nationwide.

Even with various policies and training projects to promote employment, only half of these job seekers will be able to land jobs, according to the minister.

Yet, at the same time, a lack of highly-skilled technicians and technical workers has become a major problem for many enterprises in South China's Pearl River Delta region. And the underdeveloped central and western regions are badly in need of talent.

This suggests that there is much we can do to narrow the gap between the ever-increasing number of job seekers and the limited number of job vacancies.

Job training needs to be oriented toward the needs of the market, and universities need to adjust their specializations and curriculums to turn out graduates that can meet the needs of society.

At the same time, university graduates need to change their mentality in seeking jobs. Instead of only pursuing jobs that can fit their personal requirements, they need to adapt themselves to the available jobs. With this outlook, graduates will be able to increase their chances of employment.

Of course, if more graduates choose to go to the underdeveloped central and western provinces and autonomous regions, it will be much easier for them to find employment. It will also relieve the pressure on the job market.

(China Daily 03/14/2007 page9)