From the end of March to mid-to-late May, the registration channel for the 2024 College Students' Volunteer Service in the Western Region Program (hereinafter referred to as the Western Plan) was officially opened, and the 2024 graduates or graduate students of ordinary colleges and universities can apply.
"I graduated from Guangning College of Yangzhou University, majoring in financial management. I decided to go to the West in the first semester of my senior year, and I was interested in it on the one hand, and I was not very satisfied with the previous job search process. Xu Ning, who once went to work in the west, told the 21st Century Business Herald that she had been working in the west for two years and was currently studying for graduate school at the University of Shanghai for Science and Technology.
It's not just about going to the west, and now graduates choose to "go to the grassroots", and there are many options. Zheng Yuting, a researcher at Huatu Education, told the 21st Century Business Herald that in addition to going to the west, there are also channels such as "three branches and one support", "special post teachers" and "college student village officials".
In addition, according to the "Blue Book on the Tracking and Evaluation of the Training Quality of China's 2018-2022 College Graduates" (hereinafter referred to as the Blue Book) recently released by the Max Research Institute, the focus of college students' employment has continued to sink in recent years, and more and more undergraduate graduates choose to work in small cities such as "county-level cities and below".
"Now many college graduates go down to the grassroots level and return to the county, mainly due to these aspects. First of all, from the central to the local level, young college students are encouraged to go to the grassroots level, which is a policy orientation. Secondly, college students hope to find suitable jobs, and many college students' family backgrounds are also from the grassroots, so many college students have returned to their places of growth and life. Third, in terms of employment pressure, the mainland is now in a period of economic structural transformation and development, and employment has also entered a transition period. Wang Jian, chief research and counseling expert of Zhonggong Education, said in an interview with the reporter of the 21st Century Business Herald.
Image source: Xinhua News Agency
When graduates choose to go down to the grassroots level
Looking back on the two years he spent in the west, Xu Ning still feels very fulfilled. As a college graduate with an outstanding academic background, her job search in her senior year did not go well.
"In the second semester of my senior year, I tried to look for a job, but I was not satisfied with the job search process. Some HR may not know you at all, but they will say some nasty things to you. Xu Ning said that at this time, there was a plan for the west, and she said to the interviewer that she "really wanted to go to the west" and was successfully selected.
Before going, Xu Ning was fully prepared to endure hardships, but after arriving in the west, the bosses and colleagues she met were very good, and she felt that she had learned a lot.
"I think the Western Plan is a good transition for college students to enter the society and work hard, and it cannot be seen as a way to gain many benefits, but to learn a lot in this transition period. In particular, most of the western plan works within the system, and the process of work will exercise one's ability to understand and adapt to changes, and can also enhance one's horizons. I suggest that everyone go out and walk more, and in the process, they will be more aware of themselves. Xu Ning said.
Zheng Yuting said that at the end of last year, the Ministry of Education issued the "Notice on Doing a Good Job in the Employment and Entrepreneurship of Graduates of National Ordinary Colleges and Universities in 2024", making it clear that it is necessary to give full play to the role of policy post absorption, continue to organize and implement grassroots employment projects such as the "Special Post Plan" and the "Three Branches and One Support" Western Plan, and expand the implementation of the "Special Plan for Urban and Rural Communities" and "Special Plan for College Students and Rural Doctors".
At present, the national policy support has policy support for the grassroots level. For example, Zheng Yuting pointed out that in the national and provincial examinations, a certain proportion of the civil servant examination and recruitment plan is set aside every year to be used to recruit personnel who have completed their service and are competent (qualified) in the western plan. Judging from the scale of targeted recruitment for the western region in the national examination in recent years, the number of applicants has stabilized at more than 2,000 people every year, accounting for about 7% of the total recruitment considerations, and the overall recruitment is relatively stable.
"In terms of personal development and employment, the Lower West has undoubtedly opened up a new path for itself. Zheng Yuting said, "However, some western regions are relatively remote and the conditions are more difficult, and the lower western regions also need to be comprehensively considered according to their actual conditions, and I hope you can make the most suitable choice for yourself." ”
At present, the college graduates represented by the Western Plan are going to the grassroots level, and their enthusiasm is increasing. For example, Xinjiang Daily recently reported that in 2024, the number of volunteers recruited by college students to volunteer to serve in the western region has increased significantly, making it the largest number of volunteers since the implementation of the project.
Another option: return to the county seat
Not only in the west, but also in small cities and counties. The Blue Book proposes that half a year after graduation, the proportion of fresh undergraduates employed in the county has increased significantly, from 20% in the class of 2018 to 25% in the class of 2022, an increase of 5 percentage points. Among them, boys rose from 19% in the class of 2018 to 24% in the class of 2022, and girls rose from 22% in the class of 2018 to 27% in the class of 2022.
The 21st Century Business Herald reporter interviewed a number of college graduates who went to the county, some of them took the public examination for editing, some started their own businesses, and some worked in private enterprises. According to the data of the Blue Book, the two industry categories with the highest proportion of undergraduates in the county in 2022 are education and government public administration. Among them, "education" accounted for 23.6% of employment, and "government and public administration" accounted for 14.9%.
Zhou Mo is one of them, and she chose to return to work in the county system. "My place of work is in the county next door to my home, and the two places have the same level of development, lower prices, and lower housing prices, so the cost of living will be a little more cost-effective. Most of the family and friends are nearby, which is convenient for daily movement and gives people a strong sense of belonging. ”
Compared with big cities, Zhou Mo believes that the county platform is low, the knowledge is not as broad as that of big cities, and the opportunities for personal promotion are not as good as those in larger cities, so you need to weigh them yourself.
Compared with Zhou Mo, Li Jing worked in Hangzhou for a period of time, and then returned to the county to start a business, she felt that there was an opportunity to make boutique blind boxes in the industry, and she went back to her hometown of Zibo, Shandong Province to open a store, but it was temporarily closed at the end of last year. "First of all, because the income of this store is relatively limited, we sell at a lower price, but the rent is relatively high. In addition, the weather was too cold in December last year, resulting in fewer customers, so we are pessimistic about this year's business. ”
Not only domestic college graduates choose to return to the county, but also some "returnees" choose to go back.
After studying abroad for a master's degree in finance, Zhao Lin chose to work in Shanghai, but felt that it was difficult to bear the costs of a house, a car, and a series of future marriages and childbirth in Shanghai. "I felt that the bottleneck had arrived, and I needed to choose whether to start over in a different place, or continue to stay in this place and compete with many people for a position? ”
After returning to her hometown, Zhao Lin was uncomfortable at first, but after a period of research and investigation, she set her sights on a boutique bakery and successfully achieved profitability. "Our unit price is relatively high for consumers in the county, mainly for civil servants, teachers, students, etc. in the county. However, the profit is very average, and after paying all the salaries, water and electricity last month, I only made a profit of 200 yuan. I didn't have to post money, and I'm all right. ”
Employment difficulties and breakthroughs
Why did you choose to go down to the grassroots level and return to the county?
First of all, according to the National Bureau of Statistics, in March 2024, the unemployment rate of the labor force aged 16-24 in urban areas across the country, excluding school students, was 15.3%, unchanged from the previous month. However, the unemployment rate of the labor force aged 25-29 in urban areas, excluding school students, was 7.2 percent, up 0.8 percentage points from 6.4 percent in the previous month. These data show that the employment pressure of young people is not low.
Secondly, this is related to the fact that college graduates in large cities generally have higher academic qualifications. According to the China Statistical Yearbook 2023, in 2022, the population in mainland China with a bachelor's degree accounted for 8.70% of the total population over 6 years old (this data is the sample data of the 2022 National Population Change Sampling Survey, the sampling ratio is 1.023‰, the same below), and the proportion with a graduate degree is 0.95%.
Comparatively, the highly educated population in large cities is more than a cut above average. According to the China Statistical Yearbook 2023, in 2022, 25.82% of the total population over 6 years old will have a bachelor's degree in Beijing, 20.43% will have a bachelor's degree in Shanghai, and 17.34% will have a bachelor's degree in Tianjin. From the perspective of postgraduate education, the proportion of the population with postgraduate degree in Beijing is 9.01% of the total population over 6 years old, 5.40% in Shanghai, and 2.11% in Tianjin, all of which are significantly higher than the national average.
Wang Jian pointed out that from the whole country, the proportion of mainland college students is still relatively low, especially the proportion of graduate degree or above in the population is low, but there is a regional imbalance, such as Beijing and Shanghai, where colleges and universities are concentrated and economically developed, and these big cities have a siphon effect on college graduates. Historically, the attraction of highly educated people in big cities has always been there, because of the high salaries, the abundance of colleges and universities, and the concentration of resources, people will definitely choose big cities if they can.
Zheng Yuting believes that graduates who choose to stay in the city or their hometown should consider many factors, such as career planning, personal values, life expectations, etc. Different industries and positions have different requirements for the working environment and geography. For example, some jobs in agriculture, environmental protection or rural tourism are more suitable for rural development, while industries such as finance, science and technology, and culture are more concentrated in cities or big cities.
"In fact, whether you choose to live in the countryside or in the city, you need to keep an open mind and be flexible. Constantly adjust your plans and strategies according to the actual situation, and actively respond to changes. Zheng Yuting said.
So, how to make college students better "break through" in employment?
"From the perspective of college students' own employment decisions, I think we need to consider the needs of society first. I'll give you an example, one of my children is about to take the high school entrance examination, and sports are counted separately, and now there is a career as a home sports coach. As far as I know, there is actually a great lack of talent in this area. Second, lifelong learning. Some people think that they can't teach their children at home because they don't want to learn physical education, but in fact, they can learn according to the requirements of the exam. The third is to change the concept, not to learn what must be done, learn to ride a donkey to find a horse, do not waste employment time, do not look at the master. Wang Jian said.
(At the request of the interviewer, Xu Ning, Zhou Mo, Li Jing, and Zhao Lin are pseudonyms)
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