Unemployable Graduates in China

Chinaís one-child policy is widely credited with averting a population crisis and bringing the peak population down by a 50 million or so.

There are the occasional critical comments from the more extreme fringes overseas but few people see any alternative to it. Unfortunately, there is also a little dark side but not necessarily the one you might expect. One that may seem a little humorous from the outside.

Recently at a job fair held in Chinaís western provinces for students majoring in hydro-electric power, job applicants were surprised by the questions they were being asked.

ìAre you an only child?î
ìDo you come from a village or a city?î
ìHave you ever had a job before?î

The answer, by definition, for most graduates in China would be ìYes, I am an only child. Yes, I live in the city. No, I have never had a job, my parents would not allow me to. It would be a great loss of face for them.î

Unfortunately, that would amount to the wrong answer according to the No. 1 Sinohydro Engineering Bureau. This and many other companies favor children with siblings, from the villages, and with at least a little actual work experience before or during college.

The reasoning is rational. The No. 1 Sinohydro Engineering Bureau experiences huge turnover of staff because of the hardships involved in the process of geological exploitation. The one-child policy kids have a hard time adapting to the tough environment and their parents prefer them to work close to home anyway. So there is always an easy way out when they fail. Go home to mommy and get a job in an office.

Of course no one actually says it so bluntly but all employers see a problem with a spoilt generation that wants everything NOW. In less challenging environments in the cities, employers find that the one-child policy generation want what they want when they want it. But they donít want to do the work that is necessary. Often they donít even have specific goals to achieve. Just an open ended desire for more.

Many graduates have spent 4 years in college on degrees that they themselves did not choose. When they graduate they donít know what to do with them. In the case of the Sinohydro Engineering Bureau above, the HR staff are likely to be asking themselves where exactly these hydro engineering specialists thought they would end up working. In a hotel maybe? Or a nice spa?

Some of the graduates see the companyís response as discrimination, and yes it is, but it is discrimination in the sense of the word that just means deciding whether one thing is good, or whether another is better. Choosing between someone who is likely to tough it out and complete the work.

And someone who is not.

Email frank.mulligan@recruit-china.com

Frank Mulligans blog - english.talent-software.com