China’s graduates are ill-matched for jobs

By Julie Makinen. Li Sha, 23 and with a fresh college degree in wastewater management, meandered tentatively through the Saturday job fair at the China International Exhibition Center. She passed booths advertising vacancies for software whiz kids, Sichuan restaurant cooks, writers for the glossy monthly Wives of Servicemen. But even in a nation with staggering air- and water-quality issues, there was nothing that jumped out for a college grad with her expertise. “I just want to find a position that matches my knowledge,” said Li, who added that she’d accept a salary as low as $330 a month, roughly 25 percent above minimum wage. “But it’s rare, and it’s even harder as a woman to get hired in this field.” More...