More than 20 percent of the university graduates who responded to a recent survey said that they had "pulled strings" to get a job. The fact that young people are using family connections to get a job shows how difficult the job market has become, says an article in People's Daily. Excerpts:

Finding "an ideal job" is much more difficult than just finding a job. Despite the intense competition in the job market, graduates still try to get employment in State-owned enterprises (SOEs), government departments and the civil service because very few are willing to work at the grassroots level.

Many people classify jobs as good or bad on the basis of the perks and welfare benefits that come with them. Even though there are no rules to judge a job as low or noble, many university graduates try desperately to be part of SOEs, because they ensure stability and are considered prestigious.

This has created an imbalance between the number of candidates for government jobs and the available vacancies, and prompted many graduates to use their family connections to curry favor in the job market.

The sorry state of affairs can be blamed on inadequate career and social development. Without promising prospects and basic security, even some important posts cannot attract talents. If university graduates, the most valued social talent pool, deviate from the right track, they will not only harm individual development, but also lead to a waste of social resources.

Employment can be streamlined if the institutional gap is eliminated, more policy support is given to newly emerged sectors and higher education is reformed to match market needs and social development.

(China Daily 06/04/2013 page9)