At job fairs in China, employers are thrifty and applicants timid

Record ID: 1712399

  • Title: At job fairs in China, employers are thrifty and applicants timid
  • Date: 20th February 2023
  • Summary: BEIJING, CHINA (FEBRUARY 16, 2023) (REUTERS) PEOPLE WALKING AROUND AT JOB FAIR JOB SEEKERS FILLING OUT FORMS DOCUMENTS ON DESK VARIOUS OF JOB SEEKERS READING HANDOUT, ASKING COMPANY STAFF QUESTIONS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 27-YEAR-OLD JOB SEEKER, MS ZHANG, SAYING: "The main problem during the epidemic was wage arrears. There is no settlement (of wages) given at the moment either. So, I would like to look at other places (for work)." ZHANG WALKING PAST CROWD OF JOB SEEKERS (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 27-YEAR-OLD JOB SEEKER, MS ZHANG, SAYING: "I think it will take a while (for the economy) to recover, so my (salary) expectations are probably not as high as before, but they can’t be too low either." 35-YEAR-OLD RECRUITMENT MANAGER MR WANG TALKING TO JOB SEEKER HAND HOLDING PAPER WITH JOB DESCRIPTION (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 35-YEAR-OLD RECRUITMENT MANAGER OF BEIJING JINCHENG JIU'AN HUMAN RESOURCES CO., MR WANG, SAYING: "We haven't met any job seekers who are demanding a lot in salary. Our main focus here today is to find those living nearby for some of the positions. And we’ll also try to match those who live nearby with some positions. There are a lot of people who are out of work due to the epidemic. So, we have brought over today some jobs for those unemployed and try to match them with the jobs as best we can." JOB SEEKER READING HANDOUTS JOB SEEKER FILLING OUT FORM JOB SEEKERS LOOKING AT HANDOUTS PEOPLE WALKING AROUND AT JOB FAIR (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 24-YEAR-OLD JOB SEEKER, LIU LIANGLIANG, SAYING: "I don't really have too high an expectation (for the salary). If I can maintain the expectations I have in mind, that will be fine. I won’t ask for too much. As long as I can have a stable job, that will be enough." JOB SEEKERS READING HANDOUTS HAND HOLDING PAPER DESCRIBING JOB VACANCIES JOB SEEKERS LOOKING AT RECRUITMENT INFORMATION VARIOUS OF JOB SEEKERS AT JOB FAIR VARIOUS OF JOB SEEKERS WALKING AROUND AT INDOOR JOB FAIR (SOUNDBITE) (Mandarin) 22-YEAR-OLD UNIVERSITY GRADUATE, MR LU, SAYING: "There is definitely an urgent need for offline jobs now that the pandemic is over. If you submit your resume you will probably get more responses and opportunities. With the pandemic over, jobs will be easier to find." VARIOUS OF JOB SEEKERS SPEAKING WITH EMPLOYERS AT INDOOR JOB FAIR HAND WRITING ON PAPER JOB SEEKERS TALKING TO EMPLOYERS ENTRANCE TO INDOOR JOB FAIR, SIGN READING (Mandarin): "2023 BEIJING TALENT RECRUITMENT" BEIJING, CHINA (FEBRUARY 17, 2023) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHIEF ECONOMIST AT JONES LANG LASALLE, BRUCE WANG, SAYING: "We see some latest data like the latest PMI data as well as the high frequency data all show stronger rebound of service sectors compared with the manufacturing sector. We think that the major reason is that the service sectors are hit hardest during the pandemic. So, it also sees some strong rebound in the next several months to come."
  • Embargoed: 6th March 2023 01:02
  • Keywords: Beijing China economy employment job labour service
  • Location: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, CHINA
  • City: BEIJING, SHANGHAI, CHINA
  • Country: China
  • Topics: Asia / Pacific,Economic Events
  • Reuters ID: LVA001108017022023RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text:China's job fairs are making a comeback after being forced online by COVID-19 for three years, but subdued wages and less abundant offerings in sectors exposed to weakening external demand point to an uneven and guarded economic recovery.
    Authorities announced hundreds of such events across the country this month, the latest sign that China is returning to its pre-COVID way of life and that youth unemployment, a major headache for Beijing, may ease from its near 20% peak.
    In a country of 1.4 billion people, job fairs are one of the most efficient ways for employers and workers to connect.
    Although attendees said their long-awaited return is encouraging, some were not brimming with confidence.
    "I only pray for a stable job, and do not have high salary expectations," said Liu Liangliang, 24, who was looking for a job in a hotel or property management company at a fair in Beijing on Thursday (February 16), one of more than 40 held in the capital in February.
    Employment anxiety is widespread.
    A survey of about 50,000 white-collar workers published on Thursday (February 16) by Zhaopin, one of China's biggest recruiting firms, showed 47.3% of respondents were worried they may lose their jobs this year, up from 39.8% a year ago.
    About 60% cited the "uncertain economic environment" as the main factor affecting their confidence, up from 48.4% in 2022.
    Job confidence of those working in consumer-facing sectors, which are recovering faster from a low base, was higher than in sectors such as manufacturing, affected by weakening external demand, or property, which has only just started to show tentative signs of stabilising, the survey showed.
    Bruce Wang, chief economist at Jones Lang Lasalle, expects the service and manufacturing sectors to run at vastly different speeds this year, but said overall employment in China should grow.
    "We see some latest data like the latest PMI data as well as the high frequency data all show stronger rebound of service sectors compared with the manufacturing sector," Bruce said. “The major reason is that the service sectors are hit hardest during the pandemic.
    (Production: Xiaoyu Yin, Ellen Zhang)
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