University graduates in Beijing face a better employment situation this year, though the country is witnessing a growing number of matriculating students.

Insiders with career guidance centers for graduates have told China Daily that employment rates this year are much higher than last year when job market was hit hard by the SARS (severe acute respiratory syndrome) panic.

The Beijing Morning Post attributes the improvement to increases in the number of jobs in State-owned companies, educational institutions and health system.

Some 130,000 college students will graduate in Beijing a few weeks from now, 20,000 more than last year.

The Ministry of Education said the employment rate of university graduates is expected to exceed 70 per cent nationally by September.

But the situation in Beijing is much better.

Liao Bin, a Beijing City University official said the 4,000 graduates at her university face a less tough job market this year.

She said employment rate has been a little higher than those in 2003 in line with current statistics.

The private university's employment was hit hard by SARS last year.

An official from the renowned Renmin University of China told China Daily that one feature of recent graduates' employment is that students have found better jobs compared with last year.

That means posts at government departments and institutions, said the man who gave his surname as Wen.

Wen also said that due to the school's reputation, graduates from his university often have an advantage in hunting for jobs, so what he cared about is whether his students can earn a greater salary and enjoy better benefits.

He added the employment situation is by no means tougher than last year.

The Ministry of Education said the number of graduates in China has increased by 680,000, or 32 per cent over last year.

Confronting the cold wave of the "salary fall," some students have even proposed accepting "no-salary jobs" on their resumes, hoping to catch employers' attention.

(China Daily July 2, 2004)