Over 400-thousand young people in Hubei are expected to graduate from college soon. Wuhan, where the coronavirus broke out, is the capital. So landing a job this year could be more difficult than before. CGTN reporter Xu Xinchen has more.
The serenity and solitude of this empty campus tells of a different type of graduation season.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, Wuhan's universities closed indefinitely.
But even without a formal ceremony, graduates still have to make choices leading to their future.
DUAN RUI University Senior In fact, I am very much like my parents. They traveled to the north and south for work when they were young. I do not want to limit myself to one small place. I think Shanghai has more opportunities for me.
Duan was lucky to be able to land a job offer before the virus outbreak.
His employer in Shanghai — a game developer — was also kind enough to wait for him until the Wuhan lockdown was lifted.
Yet, not everyone is as lucky.
Ke Meiting, a finance major, also got a job offer before the outbreak.
But the company has been delaying her official start date.
KE MEITING University Senior It has been postponed more than once. I am worried. Because of the virus outbreak, many companies have been impacted financially. Some companies have already started laying people off or opening fewer positions to cut losses. I am not sure if my company will do the same.
While Kes company has not officially denied their original offer to her, some of her friends have run into situations, in which contracts were withdrawn.
On a happier note, universities are now trying to lend help.
DUAN RUI University Senior My university has held over 400 online recruitment sessions. The government and school are also providing additional help to those who really cannot find a job.
And the internet is becoming a crucial link in this special time.
PROFESSOR LI WEIDONG Vice President, Jianghan University Job recruitment is quite different this year compared to previous years. We are moving online.
That also includes a partnership with Southwest University in Chongqing almost 1,000 kilometers away.
PROFESSOR LI WEIDONG Vice President, Jianghan University The nation has rolled out policies for universities outside the province to work with local schools to help graduates find jobs.
We are working with Southwest University and they are going to share their online recruitment platforms as well as online employment guide courses with us.
Li says the partnership will offer his students from Southwestern China a lot of help and he urges students to actively seek new opportunities online.
And for Ke Meiting, she is also actively looking for another position.
Yet, she has only heard back from local companies.
KE MEITING University Senior Online recruiters ask us to say where we studied. I do not know if that is due to the fact I am from Wuhan but I have not heard anything back regarding jobs out of the area.
While graduates offer employers a lot as they step into the work world, they may have only a limited number of opportunities as they begin their careers in this challenging time. Xu Xinchen, CGTN, Wuhan.
