'I've been told that it's not easy for a liberal arts student to find a job, especially a satisfying job,' said Liang Shiling, who majors in Chinese language and literature. 'And they are right.'

Liang wanted to apply for an editing job with a Guangzhou media outlet, but the competition was fierce. 'I queued for more than an hour but I wasn't getting any closer,' she said. 'Considering the number of applicants, I don't think I'll be chosen.'

Su Junjie, a journalism major, was also at the job fair, but he found little on offer. Despite visiting all the booths at the fair, he found only one job that met his expectations. 'I've sent only one resume,' he said. 'There just aren't enough opportunities.'

He added: 'The situation for my classmates is not good either. There are only three months left before graduation but just a third have job offers.'

Students in other disciplines are having more success. Li Zaicheng, a major in computer science and technology, said most of his classmates had received at least one offer. 'It's not difficult for us to land a job offer,' he said. 'What we need to do now is pick a good one.'

Guo Guanghua, a journalism professor at Guangdong University of Foreign Studies, said: 'This situation has been partly caused by the aimless expansion of liberal arts by universities. Take journalism, for example. Only Jinan University offered this in Guangzhou before, but now more universities are doing so. The result is there are too many graduates and not enough jobs.'

Guo explained: 'Unlike science courses, a liberal arts course requires little in the way of facilities, that's why many universities offer it,' Guo said.

'There is no doubt that liberal art graduates will have a hard time getting a job, and I'm afraid this situation will last for several years.'