University student Zhu Dongya is better off than many young Chinese. Not only is she well educated, Zhu is a native of Shenzhen, which ranks with Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou as one of the most popular mainland cities in which to work.
But like many of her contemporaries in the manufacturing boom town, the 21-year-old is increasingly anxious about her career prospects. 'I want to find something in a multinational, but their intake is very limited,' says Zhu, a French major at Shenzhen University. 'Although going for further studies abroad may bring me an advantage, I worry about competition from graduates coming out in the next couple of years.'
There may be more jobs available in Shenzhen, but most are going to migrant degree holders. Of the 40,000 graduates who found work in the city this year, 80 per cent were from universities elsewhere on the mainland.
Municipal statistics show that annually at least 2,000 university students graduating in Shenzhen - about a quarter - have been unable to find a job in recent years. As a result, the number of unemployed local graduates has risen to about 10,000.
That's why Zhu has begun her job search well ahead of graduation in July, attending recruitment seminars by big foreign companies. Typically, hundreds of applicants vie for two or three posts so Zhu knows the odds are tough. Shenzhen Labour Bureau figures show that only 30 per cent of local graduates find work with a foreign company or major state-owned enterprise. Half end up in small or medium-sized companies.
Li Minxiang, who will complete her human resources studies next year, says most graduates take between six and eight months to secure a job. 'You can easily get a position at a little-known company with a salary ranging between 1,500 and 1,800 yuan. Naturally, most people want to get a better-paid job and some are disappointed.'