China to Graduate 11.58 Million University Students This Year
Companies Avoid "Corona Generation" Due to Low Social Skills
UK Firms Retrain Employees Hired from Corona Cohort
This year, approximately 11.58 million university graduates entering Chinese society are facing unexpected difficulties in finding employment. This is because a considerable number of companies are reluctant to hire so-called 'Corona class' employees who did not have a proper university experience.
"China's 'Corona Generation' Had Few Opportunities to Develop Social Skills"
Recently, Hong Kong's South China Morning Post (SCMP) focused on China's 'Corona class' and pointed out that "students who attended remote classes during the COVID-19 period and graduated may lack experience, making it difficult to work effectively in real workplaces."
According to the report, many companies that value challenges are hesitant to hire applicants who have no project or internship experience yet. Miriam Wickersheim, a recruitment officer at a foreign company headquartered in Shanghai, recently described the 'Corona class' students she met as "unattractive."
She said, "Because they only learned remotely, they had fewer social activities and fewer opportunities to develop teamwork and social skills through face-to-face interactions," adding, "I understand that many employers say they will wait for the next batch of graduates."
This atmosphere is also reflected in related statistics. According to the National Bureau of Statistics of China, the youth unemployment rate in May was recorded at 20.8%, an increase of 0.4 percentage points from the previous month. As a result, China's monthly youth unemployment rate has set new highs four times within a year, including 18.4% in May last year, 19.9% in September, and 20.4% in April this year.
However, even passing through the narrow employment gate does not make things easier. Mo Haonan, who majored in construction engineering in Hangzhou and was accepted for an internship at a construction company, was fired just a few weeks after joining a project. He lamented, "The company treated me as disposable labor," and added, "After the project ended and the number of clients decreased, I was immediately fired without any compensation."
Some UK Companies Provide Retraining After Hiring 'Corona Class'
Students taking the Chinese university entrance exam, Gaokao (高考), lined up in front of the exam venue in Beijing on the 7th. A record-breaking 12.91 million candidates took this year's Gaokao, which is being held over two days starting from this date.
China is not the only country struggling with the 'Corona class.' Major companies in the United Kingdom have also conducted retraining for employees hired from the 'Corona class.'
Last month, the UK Financial Times (FT) explained the situation of the 'Corona class' by citing examples from accounting consulting firms Deloitte and PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC).
The FT reported, "Deloitte and PwC realized that new employees have weaker teamwork and communication skills compared to previous generations and are providing additional coaching," adding, "Representatives from Deloitte and PwC agreed that employees who joined during the COVID-19 crisis lack confidence in basic tasks such as presenting or voicing opinions in meetings."
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
