英闻天下——109 Postgraduates Have No Edge in Job Market

 　　At some job fairs in recent years, it has been very common to see hundreds of postgraduate¹ students competing for one position. Many complain that it's very difficult to get employed nowadays.

 

　　"This year I felt it has been extremely hard to find a job as a postgraduate. It's probably because there are so many postgraduate students seeking jobs this year, and the competition in the job market is fierce. Plus, we just graduated without work experience."

 

　　"There are fewer job vacancies² suitable for postgraduates³ as there were in the past."

 

　　Liu Xiaojun, department director of Beijing's Human Resources and Social Security Bureau, talks about the current employment rate for postgraduate students.

 

　　"The overall employment rate among postgraduates, graduates and other students is such that a higher academic degree brings a lower employment rate. Students who have graduated from vocational schools or technical secondary schools usually are 100-percent employed as frontline workers."

 

　　Most people believe a higher academic degree will mean a better job and higher salary. But things are different nowadays.

 

　　In recent years, the number of students enrolled⁴ in higher education across the country has been growing. In 2012, there were 584,000 postgraduate students enrolled in universities nationwide—a number 10 times higher than that of a decade ago.

 

　　Although universities have expanded their postgraduate enrollment⁵, postgraduate students do not have much of an edge over their peers who have not pursued a higher academic degree.

 

　　With the increasing number of postgraduates, the number of job vacancies for senior positions is insufficient⁶. Moreover, the curriculums of most master's degree programs far from meet the demands of the marketplace.

 

　　Lu Lin is the department director of Beijing's Human Resources and Social Security Bureau. He talks about the difference between postgraduate curriculum and that of a typical bachelor's degree program.

 

　　"Based on our current education system, graduate students from colleges and universities usually recieve basic and expanded courses. That's why they have more options when seeking jobs. However, the curriculum for postgraduates are usually more specific."

 

　　Apart from these, there is another reason behind the low employment rate for postgraduates: Students have very high expectations regarding salary.

 

　　Currently in Beijing, the average monthly salary for a college graduate is 2,000 to 3,000 yuan. But most postgraduates' expectations are much higher.

 

　　One student says he is hoping for at least 6,000 yuan a month. (upsound) Another one says she expects 8,000 yuan a month or more.

 

　　With such high salary expectations, many employers say they won't automatically pay high salaries to postgraduates as the remuneration one receives largely depends on his or her abilities.

1 postgraduate   

adj.大学毕业后的，大学研究院的；n.研究生

参考例句：

• I didn't put down that I had postgraduate degree.我没有写上我有硕士学位。
• After college,Mary hopes to do postgraduate work in law school.大学毕业后， 玛丽想在法学院从事研究工作。

2 vacancies   

n.空房间( vacancy的名词复数 )；空虚；空白；空缺

参考例句：

• job vacancies 职位空缺
• The sign outside the motel said \"No Vacancies\". 汽车旅馆外的招牌显示“客满”。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 postgraduates   

研究生( postgraduate的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Professor Zhu will give lectures to the postgraduates [graduate students] this term. 朱教授这学期给研究生开课。
• These postgraduates were a very talented group. 这些研究生是一群天分很高的学生。

4 enrolled   

adj.入学登记了的v.[亦作enrol]( enroll的过去式和过去分词 )；登记，招收，使入伍（或入会、入学等），参加，成为成员；记入名册；卷起，包起

参考例句：

• They have been studying hard from the moment they enrolled. 从入学时起，他们就一直努力学习。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He enrolled with an employment agency for a teaching position. 他在职业介绍所登了记以谋求一个教师的职位。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 enrollment   

n.注册或登记的人数；登记

参考例句：

• You will be given a reading list at enrollment.注册时你会收到一份阅读书目。
• I just got the enrollment notice from Fudan University.我刚刚接到复旦大学的入学通知书。

6 insufficient   

adj.(for，of)不足的，不够的

参考例句：

• There was insufficient evidence to convict him.没有足够证据给他定罪。
• In their day scientific knowledge was insufficient to settle the matter.在他们的时代，科学知识还不能足以解决这些问题。