NATIONAL lawmakers and political advisers have suggested that university graduates find employment at grassroots levels and make the most use of their skills in China’s vast rural hinterlands.

With an estimated 11.58 million fresh graduates expected this year, employment was a heated topic at this year’s two sessions, the annual meetings of the National People’s Congress and the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

Ma Huaide, a member of the National Committee of the CPPCC and president of the China University of Political Science and Law, said that graduates are being encouraged to find jobs where they are needed the most.

The record number of graduates is making employment more challenging, and universities are faced with a heavier task, Ma said, adding that employment is a major concern for graduates, their families and the future of the country.

Both Party and government have issued a series of support policies, and universities have also made graduate employment their top priority, Ma said.

Over the past 10 years, many graduates of his university have found jobs in government institutions, companies, law firms and arbitration institutions, said Ma, adding some 3,300 found work in western regions, border areas and serving the people in grassroots-level posts.

He added that young people in the new era accept the importance of going where they are most needed to contribute to the country’s development, but that it is important they find the kinds of jobs that will benefit them in the long term.

Wang Hong, a National People’s Congress deputy and professor at the China University of Mining and Technology, said that as a result of the expansion of higher education in China, university graduates are no longer the rarity they were before, so they should have a clearer picture of the employment situation. (China Daily)