With millions of graduates available, why are companies still short of workers?

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“The topic of “the most graduates in history” has frequently made it to the trending lists on various websites this year. According to previous estimates by the Ministry of Education, this year, the number of college graduates in China will reach 10.76 million, an increase of 1.67 million compared to last year. This is the first time that the figure has exceeded 10 million. At the same time, under the combined impact of various factors such as recurring COVID-19 outbreaks and increasing economic pressures, summer 2022 also became what public opinion generally regarded as a \"difficult job hunting season\". What is the employment situation for those in petroleum and chemical engineering fields? The China Chemical Industry News recently conducted a survey on graduate employment and corporate recruitment. Research shows that the seemingly overwhelming influx of new graduates still fails to meet the talent needs and labor shortages faced by many chemical companies. While some graduates complain about the difficulty in finding employment, many companies also lament the difficulty in recruiting staff. Many experts believe that the structural employment contradictions reflected by this situation of difficulties on both ends warrant attention. Difficulty finding employment? The problem lies in high expectations: Experts say it’s a structural issue. “It’s not difficult to find a job, but it’s hard to find one that matches one’s expertise and satisfies them.” ”A recent graduate in chemical engineering from Beijing University of Chemical Technology, who has submitted dozens of resumes, said this during a survey conducted by China Chemical Industry News. Xiao Yang, a recent graduate in chemical engineering from Beijing Institute of Petrochemical Technology, said that she does not intend to continue working in this field; instead, she wants to find a job with a strong social aspect and work as a white-collar worker. However, this process is even more difficult. “At that time, I submitted nearly a hundred resumes on recruitment platforms, and only one-fifth of them received a response; in the end, I got just over a dozen interview opportunities. ”Xiao Yang also said that out of the more than 20 classmates in the class, two-thirds have found jobs, while the remaining one-third chose to pursue further education. A survey by China Chemical Industry News found that, compared to previous years, the employment prospects for graduates in chemical-related fields are fairly good this year. Among them, the employment rates for chemistry-related majors such as Materials Science and Engineering, Polymer Materials, and Chemical Engineering and Technology are quite high. In particular, some vocational colleges have shown excellence in ensuring employment for their graduates. As Changzhou Institute of Engineering and Technology stated, the school has 3,540 fresh graduates this year, and the overall employment situation remains roughly the same as it was during the same period last year. As of the date when the survey questionnaires were collected, the direct employment rate at this university exceeded 70%, with the rate for chemistry-related majors being on par with the overall rate of the university. Henan Chemical Industry Technician College stated that this year, 2,142 students from the college participated in internship-based employment programs. The overall employment rate remained steady at over 98%, while the employment rate for students majoring in chemical-related fields also stayed above 98%. A survey by China Chemical Industry News found that, although the employment rate for graduates from petroleum and chemical engineering fields appears high based on the data, the proportion of professionals who are sent out to work in these fields is not high. Among the career paths chosen by graduates in chemical engineering, pursuing further studies through postgraduate exams accounts for a significant proportion. A teacher from a chemistry-related major class at Shandong University told China Chemical Industry News that among the 26 graduates from that class, only 1 person chose to work in fields related to their major, 1 person became a civil servant, while the remaining 24 decided to pursue further studies through postgraduate exams (5 of them decided to keep trying after failing the exams). A teacher from the School of Polymer Science and Engineering at Qingdao University of Science and Technology also revealed that approximately 90% of the school’s graduates this year chose to pursue further studies through postgraduate exams, with about half of them being admitted. A teacher from the School of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering at Shandong University of Technology said that 50% of the graduates from that school choose to pursue further studies through postgraduate programs, while among those who opt for employment, 75% seek jobs in fields related to their major. According to common practices in higher education statistics*, graduates who pursue postgraduate studies are generally regarded as having achieved employment success. Many industry insiders believe that college graduates generally have higher expectations regarding salary for employment than what is actually available. The \"2022 College Students’ Employability Survey Report\" released by Zhaopin shows that the actual salary of graduates who had signed employment contracts in 2022 differed from their expectations by more than 3,000 yuan. Such a large disparity leads a considerable number of graduates to opt for further education or “slow employment” routes, such as taking civil service exams, graduate school entrance exams, or examinations for government positions. At the same time, an increasing number of chemical engineering graduates no longer choose jobs that are related to their field of study. Responsible persons from several surveyed enterprises said that the number of students willing to choose majors related to petroleum and chemicals and work on the front lines of chemical plants is decreasing year by year. On the one hand, this is influenced by factors such as aversion to negotiation; on the other hand, common problems faced by some traditional manufacturing industries are also plaguing the chemical industry. Compared to industries such as the internet and finance, job opportunities in manufacturing progress slowly; they require long-term experience accumulation, and skill development as well as salary increases happen at a gradual pace, making it difficult to meet the financial needs of some graduates. Furthermore, manufacturing companies, especially those in the petrochemical industry, are often located in suburban areas far from cities, and their working hours are relatively fixed. This makes them less attractive to people born in the 1990s and 2000s who value self-actualization and the opportunity to pursue their interests; they prefer jobs such as those as delivery drivers or food couriers, which, although demanding, offer greater flexibility in terms of working hours and are based in urban areas. Among those graduates who chose jobs related to the chemical industry, the differences in their choices are also quite evident. Small and medium-sized enterprises differ from large enterprises, as do private enterprises compared to central and state-owned enterprises, in terms of their popularity in the job market. The \"2022 College Graduates’ Employability Survey Report\" shows that an increasing number of recent graduates are seeking stable employment; the proportion of those wishing to work in state-owned enterprises increased by nearly 2% on a year-on-year basis, while the proportion of those hoping to work in private enterprises decreased by 1.6%. There are also differences in work locations and specific fields of specialization. For example, job opportunities in organizations focused on technology research and development, such as research institutes and R&D centers of large state-owned enterprises, have always been in high demand, while construction companies find it difficult to attract a large number of talented professionals due to their heavy workloads and harsh working conditions. According to Xin Xiao, secretary-general of the China Chemical Engineering Education Association, the employment market in the chemical industry exhibits regional differences depending on the industrial layout. Coastal areas where the chemical industry is concentrated, such as the Bohai Rim, the Yangtze River Delta, and the Pearl River Delta, have developed economies, are at the forefront in terms of industrial transformation and upgrading, offer higher salary levels, and exert a strong pull on talent; as a result, graduates with degrees in chemistry are in high demand. In comparison to the southeastern coast, the employment markets in the central and western regions are relatively sluggish. However, in recent years, as the central and western regions have taken on a large number of industries that were relocated from the eastern regions, various policies aimed at attracting talent have been introduced, resulting in an increasing appeal of these regions for talent. “Therefore, saying that this year is the ‘hardest job-hunting season’ is actually somewhat one-sided. ”Xin Xiao believes that the difficulty in finding employment is a structural issue, rather than a widespread one. Having trouble hiring? It’s difficult to recruit, and even harder to retain staff: As mentioned earlier, a high employment rate in the chemical engineering field does not mean that companies, as the demand side, have an adequate supply of qualified workers. “This year, there is a severe shortage of personnel in chemical and equipment-related positions. For positions in the chemical industry, there are few candidates with the appropriate qualifications, and this trend is continuing to decline. Additionally, employees often change jobs, which leads to a shortage of manpower. Recruitment for positions related to equipment is also challenging due to competition from industries such as new energy, automotive, and emerging manufacturing sectors. ”The head of a chemical company located in the Yangtze River Delta region said that the company currently uses modern management methods such as job profiles and talent profiles to improve recruitment efficiency and the matching between talents and positions, but the problem of labor shortage remains difficult to resolve. Chemical companies facing a labor shortage are by no means an isolated case. In this survey, the chemical enterprises surveyed generally reported a poor recruitment situation, with certain types of professionals, such as those in the field of automation, being especially hard to find. The survey results show that a chemical company in Hubei plans to hire 600 people this year; as of the date when the survey questionnaires were collected, 310 people had been hired. The main positions required are those in production operations, marketing, agrochemical technology, and skilled trades. A chemical company in Shandong planned to hire 100 research and development engineers and process engineers, but only over 40 such employees were hired. Many chemical companies that participated in the survey reported that there are currently many new construction and relocation projects in China’s petrochemical industry, which has led to a high demand for professionals in areas such as production process technology, equipment, electrical systems, instrumentation, and analysis and testing. The ranking of the 100 occupations with the greatest labor shortages in the second quarter of 2022, released by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security in late July, also confirms this — among them, the occupation of chemical plant operators ranked 39th, up 5 places from the same period last year ； The chemical inspector profession ranked 72nd, up 21 places from the same period last year. Several chemical companies have stated that the reason for the shortage of workers is, on the one hand, the difficulty in recruiting staff, and on the other hand, the gap between the professional knowledge and skills of recent graduates and the actual production requirements of these companies. “The current situation is that it is difficult to recruit top-tier leadership talent and expert professionals, while it is equally hard to recruit and retain frontline operational and maintenance staff. ”A responsible official from a chemical company in the southwest region said. According to the survey data, the average turnover rate of new employees in the surveyed chemical companies is around 20%. The person in charge of a chemical company in the central region reported that the turnover rate among new employees within their first year of employment is generally high; for college-educated employees, this rate is nearly 30%. How to attract graduates to work in the factories, and how to retain young employees already on the job, have become challenges that chemical companies must face. Staff turnover occurs not only in the chemical industry. Data provided by Zhang Xinghai, deputy to the National People’s Congress and chairman of Xiaokang Group, show that in 2020 there was a shortage of 22 million skilled workers in China’s manufacturing sector. On average, over the past five years, 1.5 million people have left the manufacturing industry each year. In contrast to this loss of labor force in manufacturing, the number of people working in the express delivery industry has exceeded 10 million. According to statistics from food delivery platforms Meituan and Ele.me, during the pandemic in 2020, nearly 30% of the over 2 million new food delivery riders added to both platforms were former manufacturing workers. What are the strategies? Measures to address the dilemma of having difficulties on both ends: providing branches for phoenixes to perch on; employment is hard, and one’s skills are waiting to be put to use at an appropriate price ； It is difficult for one side to find employees, with many positions going unclaimed. “How can the problem of being stuck in a difficult situation be resolved? It is necessary to improve workers’ skill levels through vocational training, ensuring that the content of such training aligns closely with the requirements of various jobs. This approach can help alleviate the structural employment issues stemming from the coexistence of situations where there are people without jobs and jobs without people, as well as the challenges related to finding employment and recruiting staff. ”This was the suggestion made by Ren Yaping, deputy director of the Population, Resources and Environment Committee of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, at the 23rd meeting of this committee held on August 23. Regarding the shortage of professionals in specific fields, many business leaders suggest that solutions can be found in the field of vocational education. The survey results published in the China Chemical Industry News also show that the employment rate in vocational colleges is relatively optimistic, and employers are quite satisfied with the graduates. Speaking about the requirements companies have for training graduates, Xu Yongjun, head of the Admissions and Employment Office at Changzhou Institute of Engineering and Technology, said that according to surveys over the past three years, around 40% of employers believe that schools should emphasize practical training components, while another 30% suggest strengthening cooperation between schools and enterprises in order to cultivate technical professionals who meet the required standards. Currently, the college has established in-depth cooperation with leading enterprises in the industry. It implements the modern apprenticeship system, offers “order-based classes”, and takes the lead in establishing the National Vocational Education Group for Inspection, Testing, and Certification, as well as the Yangtze River Delta Vocational Education Alliance for the Integrated Development of Green Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals. Xin Xiao revealed that the China Chemical Engineering Education Association is working to consolidate high-quality educational resources in the industry, in order to create a comprehensive chemical engineering education and training platform that offers various types of training, combines online and offline methods, and covers the entire industry chain. Once completed, the platform will help align the skill levels of working professionals with the requirements of their respective positions. It is believed that it will play a significant role in alleviating the labor shortage faced by chemical enterprises and meeting their need for talent for further development. Furthermore, many chemical companies have also realized that by providing a suitable environment, they can attract top talents. Many companies are beginning to focus on improving employee benefits and building corporate culture. For instance, Mingquan Group chose to build a residential area in the urban district to meet employees’ daily needs. It also provides temporary marital housing to alleviate the burden of purchasing homes on its employees ； Chongqing Chemical and Pharmaceutical Holding (Group) Company has introduced preferential incentive measures, such as one-time settlement allowances, for high-quality talents ； Guizhou Phosphorus Group builds sports venues at its various production sites and holds regular events to enhance employees’ sense of identity with the company… At the same time, the company is also using digital and intelligent technologies to increase the profitability of its manufacturing operations, improve employees’ working conditions and salaries, so as to attract and retain recent graduates and address the difficulty in recruiting staff. How to get employed? Enhance your competitiveness. Experience: Only by developing solid skills can one easily secure desirable jobs. The structural contradictions in the job market cannot be resolved overnight; however, the number of college graduates has been on the rise in recent years. According to the Statistical Bulletin on the Development of National Education issued by the Ministry of Education, the number of college graduates in 2023 is expected to exceed 11.74 million, which may lead to more intense competition for employment. How can one improve their competitiveness in the job market? The saying \"If you become a diamond, it’s easy to handle delicate tasks\" serves as wisdom from experience. A recent graduate who has joined a large chemical company shared his job search experience. In order to succeed in the recruitment process, he not only carefully prepared his resume for the target position, but also reached out to similar companies on his own to gain practical experience, thereby deepening his understanding of the industry. “From my own job-hunting experience, it isn’t difficult for undergraduate graduates majoring in chemical engineering to find a job that matches their field of study. What’s important is to clearly define one’s career goals and maintain a positive attitude during the job search. The knowledge acquired at school may be limited, but a positive attitude toward employment and learning is definitely an advantage. ”The graduate said. For current students, developing their practical skills and establishing a clear self-awareness as well as a roadmap for growth are the keys to enhancing their competitiveness in the future workplace. According to the survey results, 75% of chemical manufacturing enterprises expect fresh graduates to possess not only theoretical knowledge but also certain practical skills ； 42% of enterprises hope that graduates will have a correct understanding of the industry, possess a long-term career plan, and be willing to work at the front line to gain experience. Xin Xiao said that the association is also taking action in three areas to assist graduates in finding employment. First, implement ideological education in courses to foster in students an objective understanding of the chemical engineering field, a passion for it, and a determination to pursue a career in this industry ； Secondly, it is to establish a 1+X certification system, encouraging students to obtain vocational skill level certificates (X certificates) in addition to their academic degrees, thereby enhancing their capabilities and improving their competitiveness in the job market ； Third, offer courses on the situation and policies in the large-scale chemical industry, so that students can understand the macroeconomic trends in this sector and receive guidance on developing their career plans. “Unresponsible terms such as ‘dead-end majors’ and ‘declining industries’ are merely an unobjective perception of the chemical industry by society. Whether as social organizations or the media, it is our responsibility to change society’s unfounded perception of the chemical industry. Of course, this is a systematic project that requires the joint efforts of all sectors of society. ”Xin Xiao said. Original by Jin Yajie and Cao Yang, China Chemical Industry News