News 1+1 | From Barbecue Academy to Innovation Positions: Diverse Career Paths Help Youth Overcome Employment Challenges

It’s the season for spring recruitment again, with many regions gradually launching their spring hiring campaigns. Recently, Beijing held this year’s first large-scale job fair, offering over 20,000 positions from more than 480 companies, with over 70% in science and technology innovation roles. Guangzhou hosted the “Million Talents Gathering in Southern Guangdong” comprehensive job fair, with nearly 2,000 leading companies providing over 85,000 positions. Additionally, the nation’s first Burnt Food College in Yueyang, Hunan, officially launched, empowering both practitioners and the industry. How will 12.7 million college graduates find high-quality employment this year? How can skills training illuminate career prospects? This episode of “News 1+1” focuses on: youth employment and entrepreneurship—how to “stay steady”?

What are the characteristics of this spring’s recruitment?

Associate Professor Zhang Chenggang from the School of Labor Economics at Capital University of Economics and Business explains that this year’s total number of university graduates has reached a new high. From an environmental perspective, the first challenge is that we are in an accelerated phase of economic restructuring, leading to the emergence of new job opportunities in the market. Traditional industries are gradually retreating, and some positions are shrinking. Therefore, in terms of overall supply and demand, there is a certain gap between the number of jobs and the labor supply.

Second, changes in the international environment have caused families who previously planned to study abroad to now reconsider the costs and benefits of studying abroad, which may add pressure on domestic employment.

Third, rapid advancements in artificial intelligence technology have led companies to hold back or adopt a wait-and-see attitude in recruitment, as they want to observe how much AI can improve productivity.

Finally, college students themselves are now demanding higher standards for positions, which objectively increases the difficulty of employment to some extent.

How to address the mismatch between university majors and industry needs?

Zhang Chenggang states that during technological progress, there is indeed a friction period of structural adjustment, and there is a certain contradiction between students’ professional skills and industry demands.

On one hand, universities are actively adjusting by establishing new colleges, launching new majors, and revising curricula to gradually build connections with enterprises, aiming to better understand industry needs and help students improve their skills.

On the other hand, from the industry’s perspective, college students possess strong learning abilities. Although they may currently lack skills closely aligned with industry needs, if they are recruited and given targeted training, leveraging their learning capacity, they can master new technologies in a short period. This is highly beneficial for enterprise development.

How can the service industry attract young people?

Zhang Chenggang explains that market demand is the core factor. Training aims to develop skills that meet market needs. For example, the barbecue industry has broad growth potential, and since there is demand in this sector, skills training should focus here.

Secondly, for college students’ employment, it is important to consider that different individuals have different preferences. Some students have strong hands-on skills and service awareness. If placed in a consumer environment like barbecue dining, they can perform very well.

Thirdly, under the overall trend of consumption upgrading in China, young people entering the industry can bring new consumption concepts and are familiar with the consumption hotspots among their peers. This can lead to quality improvements and greater value for the entire industry.

How to establish new employment concepts in current job hunting?

Zhang Chenggang emphasizes that job seekers need to change their employment mindset and establish awareness of employment. Today, our government, universities, and enterprises are all making efforts. Presenting job opportunities to young people is a social opportunity. Young people should see this as a chance to gain experience and improve skills, even if the positions do not meet immediate needs. Additionally, continuous learning is recommended throughout this process.

(CCTV News Client)