Recruiting in China

The number of Chinese students taking the country's tough national college entrance test has declined by 10 per cent amid reports that most of last year's seven million graduates struggled to get gainful jobs.

Around 9.12 million high school students are registered to sit for China's national college entrance examination called 'Gaokao' which is being held all over the country today and tomorrow.

Despite the huge numbers, figures for those taking the test have declined year-on-year for five years, from the peak of 10.5 million candidates in 2008 to 9.15 million in 2012.

"Every year, about 10 per cent of high school seniors don't take the Gaokao, because some are pre-enrolled in university and some study abroad or go to work. The proportion hasn't fluctuated greatly in recent years," Xu Mei, spokesperson for the Ministry of Education told the media ahead of the test, regarded as toughest in China.

But the dwindling numbers are also attributed to the reports that the Chinese graduates who were in much demand when the country grew at over 10 per cent in the last several years are now struggling to get placements as the growth declined to 7.8 per cent last year.

The IMF also predicted that China's GDP may further decline to 7.5 per cent or less.

A recent report by state-run CCTV said the spectre of unemployment is haunting the youth as Chinese colleges are churning out over seven million graduates a year, far higher than previous years due to extensive development of educational infrastructure.

With job vacancies scarce, 2013 has been dubbed as "the toughest year of employment" for seven million graduates, the largest number since 1949, state-run Global Times reported.

In a bid to address the fears, Chinese President Xi Jinping recently attended a job fair to instil confidence while Premier Li Keqiang said high priority would be accorded to create more jobs.

Chinese economists directly relate GDP numbers to employment prospects as every percentage of economic growth produces few million jobs and the employment market shrinks if the economy declines with firms shedding jobs to cut costs.

Education experts said that some students from rural areas may also not bother with the Gaokao, as they see no hope of entering colleges, cannot afford the tuition fees and worry about finding jobs after graduation.

The average cost for four years' university study is about 75,000 yuan (USD 12,217) while the per capita income in rural areas was 7,917 yuan a year in 2012.

"For most rural families, supporting a college student is a big investment. They must consider both input and output," Lao Kaisheng, a professor with Capital Normal University said.

However, Xiong Bingqi, deputy director of the 21st Century Education Research Institute, said the bleak employment outlook is unlikely to mean more students will forgo the Gaokao.

"There is no better choice than the Gaokao, so most students will still attend universities even if they are uncertain about their future," said Xiong.