Graduates prefer government jobs over private ones - Zhang Juwei

Zhang Juwei

China's best and brightest still prefer government jobs over joining the private sector, says professor Zhang Juwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Population and Labor Economics to CNN. "The private sector in China is not very well structured or developed." But government jobs are hard to get

CNN:

Central government jobs are often described as a "golden rice bowl" for their stable income and generous benefits. Officialdom can also lead to membership of the Chinese Communist Party -- a status symbol in China. 

But with only 19,000 jobs available, ... chances of a civil service career are slim. The exam (of this year) attracted record numbers of applicants, with 1.52 million completing the online registration process up from 30,000 in 2001. 

When China's economy first opened up 30 years ago, going into private business or commerce was seen as the best way to get ahead. But the civil service first began attracting huge numbers of applicants a decade ago, said Zhang Juwei, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences' Institute of Population and Labor Economics.

"The private sector in China is not very well structured or developed like the U.S.," he said. 

"Most of the people in private companies in China, unless their positions are high, they usually don't pay well or have a clear career ladder to move up."

More at CNN.

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