A company taking part in a recent recruitment fair in Wuhan University of Science and Technology, Hubei province, has stirred a controversy by seeking candidates who have been leaders of students' unions but ruling out heirs to fortune, says an article in Changjiang Daily. Excerpts:

A representative of the "controversial" company said that it needs graduate employees who are good at teamwork, and does not favor rich families' heirs because they tend to be self-centered and could make managing staff members difficult.

Quite a few companies have adopted such a policy, reflecting the negative impression they have of heirs to fortune. This is surprising because workers and employees, irrespective of their social and economic backgrounds, are supposed to be treated equally.

Though members of disadvantaged groups are usually discriminated against when it comes to employment, we have to realize that refusal to employ candidates from wealthy families is also discrimination.

Some companies have more or less adopted an unwelcome attitude toward graduates from rich families, but there are many enterprises that favor them because their family background and "connections" can bring in a lot of business.

Therefore, it is still relatively easy for graduates from rich families to find a good job. This is a problem that should be solved by improving the market economy and the legal system to help ordinary graduates.

(China Daily 11/08/2011 page9)