Bridging the Talent Gap

Full employment of college graduates is conducive not only to their personal growth but also to every country’s economic and social development.

However, finding jobs for the huge number of graduates each year also places great pressure on the government to deliver effective policies and programs.The fact that most of these graduates choose to work in large cities and developed regions intensifies the structural imbalance present in the job market in China: There is an oversupply of labor in cities and an undersupply in rural and remote areas.

In order to help correct this imbalance and to continue the promotion of rural revitalization, the Chinese Government has in place a package of policies to encourage graduates to take up positions in areas where well-educated professionals are put badly needed. For instance, the government will provide tuition compensation or repay the student loans of college graduates who fulfill a certain period of service, working in agriculture,medicine or education in the nation’s rural and remote areas. Given their willingness to break new ground, young people bring energy and passion to the national effort for progress.

In 2022, the number of college graduates in China reached 10.76 million, more than the total population of the U.S. state of Michigan. Encouraging these graduates to take up positions in rural and remote areas eases employment pressure. Also, the inflow of young talent can improve social governance and bring new ideas that will help bridge gaps with more developed areas. For their part,graduates can gain hands-on experience that may help them in their future careers, particularly those who aspire to take on government or other leadership positions in the future.

Working in less developed regions may entail a minor degree of hardship for graduates, but it also brings employment opportunities unavailable in larger cities and a sense of fulfillment from integrating their own goals with the goals of the nation. BR