While the tough environment is to blame, some college graduates are being too picky, said Guo Liqun, recruitment director with China Agricultural University.
"Many students have unreasonably high expectations for their jobs, contributing to this year's grim job prospects."
Entrepreneurship, going west and "talent bidding"
In late June, the State Council, China's cabinet, announced new policies to encourage migrant workers, college graduates and discharged soldiers to return to their hometowns and start their own small businesses.
The government has promised easy business registration. Employee social insurance will also be subsidized by the government for small and medium-sized enterprises that hire college graduates.
On Monday, the Department of Human Resources and Social Security in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region announced plans to retrain 5,000 unemployed graduates and assign them to work in various positions at offices in the region's remote counties for up to a year.
Those who want to start their own businesses will enjoy favorable policies such as tax abatement and favorable loans.
In the southern metropolis of Shenzhen, authorities have issued 30 measures that support startups in the city.
According to the measures, several "startup gardens", will be established, areas designated for new businesses where participants receive various subsidies. Training sessions will also be provided for college graduates interested in entrepreneurship.
A website that profiles graduates and asks employers to bid to employ is expected to help boost graduate employment.
Hosted by Taobao, China's equivalent to eBay, the "Talent Shop" launched by Kunming University in Yunnan province last week puts talent up for auction.
The site categorizes students according to their field. The profiles include the student's ideal starting salary and the university's assessment of him or her. Sixty-five of Kunming University's best job candidates are currently profiled.
The talent shop, the first such service on Taobao, is an attempt to promote new graduates to potential employers and "help them deal with the harsh employment conditions this year," said Kunming University principal He Hua.
From September, the site will also allow students to pitch business ideas for crowdfunding or auction, according to He.
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