Wuhan holds first offline job fair for graduates since pandemic began

Job seekers are seen at a job fair held at Jianghan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, June 1, 2020. /Xinhua

A career fair for college graduates in Wuhan – the hardest hit city by the novel coronavirus in China – was held at Jianghan University in the capital city of central China's Hubei Province on June 1.

According to the organizers, more than 80 enterprises participated in the campus career fair, providing nearly 2,500 vacancies.

It was the first on-site recruitment fair for soon-to-be graduates in Wuhan since the COVID-19 pandemic began, as universities and colleges across China have been turning to "cloud recruitment," and offering career services online over safety concerns amid the pandemic.

Job seekers queue up to talk with an employer at a job fair held at Jianghan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, June 1, 2020. /Xinhua

This year will see the number of college graduates reach new levels, said Xiong Jun, director of Wuhan Municipal Talent Service Center, noting that about 317,000 fresh graduates are set to graduate from 83 colleges and universities across the city.

According to Xiong, the employment rate of graduates in Wuhan so far has declined compared with that in the same period in previous years. The number of jobs offered by small and medium-sized businesses has fallen, leading to a drop in the signing rate of college students.

Job seekers talk with employers at a job fair held at Jianghan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, June 1, 2020. /Xinhua

College graduates are facing unexpected employment challenges and heightened concerns about their careers this year due to the impact of the pandemic. In this sense, China has rolled out a slew of measures to help ease the anxiety about graduating in the time of COVID-19.

Wuhan recently issued a series of documents with over 20 policies and measures in place, such as employment grants, startup subsidies, career training, and subsidized loans, to help college graduates start businesses and find jobs, said Xiong.

A job seeker walks past a board at a job fair held at Jianghan University in Wuhan, central China's Hubei Province, June 1, 2020. /XInhua

The local government is also offering an increasing number of positions in communities to new graduates with vacancies of civil servants expanded.

Additionally, the city will hold another eight special job fairs for college graduates, which are expected to offer around 10,000 jobs, big data, cloud computing, modern service industry, financial industry and other fields.

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