Coal chemical industry job hunting season: Make the most of it

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This post was last edited by zxb1990 on 2016-12-17 at 19:39. It’s once again peak season for recruitment and job hunting in the coal chemical industry. The Coal Chemical Industry 114 Forum has recently published a batch of job listings from various coal chemical companies (for more details, see the Coal Chemical Industry 114 Forum and the WeChat official account mhg114), in an effort to meet the job-seeking needs of professionals in this field as fully as possible. Give yourself N+1 reasons by the end of the year to change jobs: insufficient salary, poor company benefits, limited career prospects, forcing one to take risks, a hostile work environment that’s annoying... It’s time to move to a new environment. That eager heart surely longs for the right moment to act. But I wonder, are you aware of the current hiring situation in the coal chemical industry? Are you really ready to change jobs given the current market conditions? The coal chemical industry has now entered a new stage of development. I’m a bit confused during this special period, but I have gained some insights from working in the recruitment section of the Coal Chemical 114 forum, and I’d like to share them with everyone here. As the economic growth rates at home and abroad slow down, **supply-side reforms are necessary, and the coal industry is one of the key sectors subject to such reforms. Ten years ago, enterprises initiated coal chemical projects out of necessity in order to obtain more coal resources; today, after ten years, coal companies undertake such projects voluntarily in an effort to overcome the challenges faced by the coal industry. Although it is still investment in coal chemistry, the motivation behind these efforts has undergone a \"qualitative\" change, you know... At present, most new projects are demonstration projects using new technologies, with fewer projects being built using traditional processes. The circular economy model of \"integrated coal chemical, power, and heating production\" is widely adopted, and as the industrial chain is expanded, coal chemistry becomes increasingly interconnected with industries such as petrochemicals, coking, salt lake resource exploitation, and chemical fibers. As a result, the level of development of the circular economy in the coal chemistry industry has seen significant improvement. Coal chemical industry professionals 114 believe that mastering new technologies and building professional networks are the top priorities for those currently working in this field, and these could become the most crucial factors in future talent competition. To adapt to these changes, the talent market in the coal chemical industry is also undergoing subtle transformations. Corporate consolidation, capacity reduction, shutdowns due to pollution, and the suspension of new projects have led to the dismissal and reallocation of a large number of workers in the coal chemical industry. The editor would like to share with you the issues facing domestic coal chemical enterprises: Some state-owned companies have reduced salaries multiple times since last year, hired a large number of temporary workers who are paid very little, and keep delaying the promises to convert them into permanent employees ； Some companies have multiple coal chemical projects across the country; once one of these projects stops operating, its staff are laid off and transferred to another project, where their salaries are reduced by more than half ； Some new projects have been halted due to incomplete procedures or insufficient funding, resulting in the dismissal of the staff involved. For example, a coal-to-natural gas project in Xinjiang saw its employees having their salaries reduced in stages until they were all dismissed; although an environmental impact assessment was approved recently and the project received clearance from the **Development and Reform Commission, industry insiders say that construction of the project is still a long way off ； Some private enterprises, affected by the efforts to reduce production capacity and restructure, have stopped production and terminated their employment contracts with employees directly ； Private enterprises that are operating normally, especially those that hire employees at high salaries, often find it difficult to fulfill their promises to pay salaries and other benefits by the end of the year ； Companies without a background in coal chemical industry no longer invest in such projects. For the expansion of existing plants, very few new employees are hired; recruitment is mainly done through internal training. Compared to ten years ago, there is an increase in the number of workers in the coal chemical industry; wages have dropped, there is less reliance on external contractors and more on internal training; the workforce is younger, with less experience in handling accidents; there are more accidents resulting in injuries or deaths; fewer people pay attention to environmental protection; there are more unemployed individuals, fewer applicants from outside the region, more labor disputes, and fewer cases of unpaid wages being recovered... In short, poor performance, an excess of workers, declining benefits, few new projects, lack of management, and rapid technological changes are the new trends in our coal chemical industry at present. Everyone must clearly understand the current situation in the industry. High salaries, suitable positions, good career prospects, and proximity to home are certainly ideal, but there are very few job opportunities that match one’s own circumstances perfectly and offer appropriate compensation. If you are currently employed, the editor believes it’s best to stay at your job and wait and see; it’s also a good idea to take on some part-time work to increase your income ； If you lose your job, I think it’s best to consider it as “marrying” yourself; let’s all cherish what we have, dear friends! The wise will surely seize it! When looking for a new job, we should pay close attention to the compensation aspects: Compensation structure: 1. Salary: This varies from company to company; some companies use an annual salary, while others use a monthly salary. Some companies offer a monthly salary plus a year-end bonus or quarterly bonuses, and others provide a monthly salary along with two extra months’ worth of pay at the end of the year. It’s important to calculate the total income for the year. 2. Social insurance: A legitimate enterprise is required, under the provisions of the new Labor Law, to provide social insurance. It is important to understand what aspects this insurance covers – pension insurance, medical insurance, unemployment insurance, maternity insurance, housing provident fund, etc. Some enterprises pay social insurance based on the local minimum wage, while others pay it based on the full amount of the employee’s basic salary. However, the Labor Law stipulates that enterprises must start paying social insurance from the first day an employee starts working there. Individuals should gather as much information as possible in this regard to protect their own interests. 3. Holidays: This includes details such as annual leave, home leave, marriage leave, maternity leave, and whether overtime is required during holidays. It’s also important to pay attention to whether expenses for round-trip travel on home leave are reimbursed (including flight tickets), whether overtime is compensated with cash or with time off, and whether that time off can be taken across quarters or years. Some companies are quite adept at manipulating these rules. 4. Reimbursement: It is necessary to clarify the conditions for business trip allowances, the restrictions on telephone bill reimbursement, whether expenses related to job interviews are reimbursable, whether expenses for visiting family at home are covered, and whether local transportation costs are reimbursable. 5. Allowances: settlement allowance, meal allowance, sandstorm allowance, high-altitude allowance, test drive allowance, business trip allowance, car purchase allowance, transportation allowance, etc. 6. Housing: Whether accommodation is provided, whether housing is offered, whether housing subsidies are available for those who rent on their own, and whether there are discounts for employees living in housing provided by the company. 7. Other: Whether there is a company-provided vehicle for work, whether there is a daily shuttle between the construction site and the residence, whether there is a shuttle between the construction site and the city, whether arrangements are made for family members to find employment, whether arrangements are made for children to attend school, whether the employee is part of the company’s permanent staff or on a contract basis, and whether a position is assigned upon starting work.