Employment campaign launched for new graduates

China launched a 100-day sprint for employment campaign, calling on universities and local authorities to seize the final stretch to boost employment for the class of 2025 before students graduate, according to a circular released by the Ministry of Education on Friday.

The campaign urges universities to create more market-oriented job opportunities and encourages institutions to promote employment support measures including job expansion subsidies and job-seeking allowances.

University presidents are urged to increase their participation in the job expansion campaign, especially focusing on disciplines with low job placement rates.

The notice stipulated that the leadership of universities are supposed to visit at least 100 companies and secure 100 job opportunities, while faculty leadership teams at the college and departmental levels are expected to visit an average of 10 enterprises each, including alumni-run companies and firms within relevant industries.

Public employment services will be introduced on campuses, with assistance for universities to partner with local human resources departments to set up employment service stations. Industry associations and chambers of commerce are also encouraged to mobilize enterprise job resources, sharing job listings more widely.

The ministry emphasized speeding up the recruitment for government-supported positions, including programs for kindergarten and K-12 teachers, civil servants and State-owned enterprises, seeking to complete all recruitment by the end of August.

Ongoing grassroots service initiatives such as the rural doctor project and the special post teacher program, a special recruitment program implemented to address the shortage of teachers in rural areas in central and western China, will be reinforced, while community jobs specifically for college graduates will also be increased.

Regular universities and vocational schools will be supported to develop job positions such as administrative assistants and teaching assistants, in a bid to strengthen campus services while absorbing more university graduates into the workforce.

Guidance for students will be strengthened through vocational training. The employment partnership between 100 universities and 100 counties will focus on identifying high-quality job opportunities in top-performing counties.

Universities are urged to accelerate the development of micro-credential programs aligned with 60 key development areas across 12 urgently needed and high-demand industrial sectors, including artificial intelligence and the low-altitude economy.

Institutions are required to swiftly launch and begin offering these targeted programs, aiming to help graduates from fields with limited market demand acquire the necessary knowledge and skills to enhance their employment competitiveness, the circular said.

Colleges will establish records for graduates facing difficulties, offering continuous support for those who remain unemployed after leaving school.

Employment safety education will also be reinforced, and a crackdown on illegal and irregular employment practices in the human resources market will be carried out, the ministry said.