NO ONE CAN accuse Jimmy Wang of slacking. The young mainland accountant clocks up an average of 15 hours' overtime each week. He is confident and personable. And having worked at a leading accounting firm in Beijing for five years, he should be eligible for a managerial position. But Wang is unsure about his chances.
'I'm afraid my English may not be good enough,' says Wang, who declines to reveal his full name.
Yet his academic record seems to indicate otherwise. Wang has passed Level 6 of the College English Test (CET), the highest for college students. So, his language skills should be considerably better than most of his peers. He also earned his accounting degree from the University of International Business and Economics, one of the mainland's top institutions for finance, which should give him an edge over candidates from less prestigious schools. But the 27-year-old doesn't think so.
'What we learned in class was outdated and not practical. In fact, such learning can be an obstacle for picking up new knowledge,' he says.
Wang is among millions of mainland graduates whose lack of English proficiency and practical skills are hindering the development not only of their careers but that of the country. A recent report by the consulting firm McKinsey found most graduates are unable to succeed in the services and export sectors. So, despite a massive supply of cheap labour on the mainland, this shortage of quality talent could hobble an otherwise booming economy, and thwart the country's ambitions to develop and expand more sophisticated industries.
According to interviews with 83 human-resources professionals involved with hiring Chinese graduates, the research concludes that fewer than 10 per cent of mainland job candidates are qualified for work in a foreign company in engineering, finance and accounting, quantitative analysis and support roles.
