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SCMP Reporter

Graduates have been urged to widen their job opportunities by considering positions outside their main field of studies.

  The call came from the dean of students at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CU), Professor Kwok Siu-tong. It followed an employment survey that showed a sharp drop in job offers in business administration this year, which has been mainly attributed to the economic downturn.

  Sources at the university's Office of Student Affairs said the decline in job offers would affect graduates in many disciplines outside business administration since they often competed for the same jobs.

 Positions made available for graduates through the office dropped 40 per cent from 2,101 during the first three months of last year to 1,246 for the same period this year.

  Worst hit were the fields of marketing and sales, which fell from 111 last year to 43 this year, and administration and management, which dropped 60 per cent within a month from 280 to 101.

  Professor Kwok said graduates faced fewer career choices and should expect a longer search for jobs.

  He advised students, particularly at CU and other institutes where traditionally graduates concentrated on the commerce and industry sectors, to seek more diverse types of work.

 Last year, commerce and industry absorbed 72 per cent of all CU's 3,073 graduates of full-time courses.

  'Graduates should be more flexible, even for the business administration major. They don't have to find a job only related to their studies,' Professor Kwok said.

  He said some students were pursuing postgraduate study to avoid facing the stiff competition for jobs.

  This year's employment survey showed 84 per cent of CU graduates were employed, 12 per cent pursued further studies, and three per cent were seeking jobs.

   In 1996, only 2.1 per cent were recorded jobless.

  'In order to make them face reality, workshops will be held next month to assist students both technically and psychologically,' he said.

   The Office of Student Affairs has been monitoring the impact of the financial crisis on the employment situation of graduates since earlier this year.

  The pre-occupational workshops lasted four weeks, covering areas such as business communication and inter-personal communication skills.

  Professor Kwok said he was pleased that students now seemed willing to spare some study time to prepare themselves to look for jobs.

  He said career counselling should start as early as possible so students could build up the practical skills needed in the competitive job market.



Dean urges CU scholars to be flexible when choosing careers