CRI听力:Graduate Village Officials More Competitive in Job Market

Since 2005, the Chinese government has been encouraging graduates to work in villages, in the hope of improving rural administration and to create more jobs for graduates. Now many of these "graduate village officials," who completed their contract with local villages, are looking for a new job. With their valuable work experience, they are considered to be more competitive in the job market.

Zhang Wan has more.

Graduating from Beijing Information Science and Technology University, Qi Yongqi has worked in a village in Changping District in Beijing for nearly three years. A month later, he will leave his post.

When thinking about what he should do, Qi Yongqi came to the Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security to look for job opportunities.

"Now it's time to look for a new job. This phase of my life is very important to me I think."

Qi Yongqi majored in human resource management at his university, plus he worked as a village official and has accumulated valuable work experience, he feels confident in his job hunt.

"In terms of interpersonal relationships and better understanding of management skills, I feel I am more capable now."

In one job fair organized by the Municipal Bureau of Human Resources and Social Security for graduates who worked as a village official, 318 employers are recruiting for more than 1,500 job opportunities.

Many employers say they want candidates with work experience as village officials because they value their experiences. Moreover, employers say they provide more job opportunities to those "village-official candidates" than last year.

One employer says they believe these candidates are more qualified and stable at work.

Among employers, there are banks, high-tech companies, and other large enterprises.

So far, 92 percent of graduates who have completed their three-year contract with local villages have found new jobs.

To improve rural administration and create more jobs, the Chinese government has encouraged university graduates to work in villages since 2005. During the past five years, more than 12,000 started their first job in these rural areas.

For CRI, I am Zhang Wan.