THE upgrading of former polytechnics and colleges to university level means tougher competition in the job market for graduates, according to a City University career counsellor.
But some students, who recently attended a Civil Service Careers Exhibition at the university campus, said they did not feel the pressure and the Civil Service, although the least popular sector with City University students, was still considered most stable despite the competition.
The major reason was the attractive terms of employment.
A career survey conducted by the university in 1993 showed over 80 per cent of students joined the private sector primarily because of the relevance of the jobs with the courses offered.
The survey also showed that the number of those taking government jobs had dropped from 4.9 per cent to 4.5 per cent.
'This is a slight decrease and is actually insignificant,' said senior counsellor Anna Yeung Lee Kit-fun of the Student Affairs Office.