11.26.2011

Graduate recruitment has begun early this year, as employers seek to steal a march on rivals amid fierce competition to attract professionals.

Buoyed by economic recovery, employers have sped up hiring and sent out job offers earlier to avoid losing ideal candidates to competitors.

Despite the "early bird" strategy, some are still struggling to recruit preferred candidates, as many students have several offers to choose from.

A Shanghai Mitsubishi Elevator Co Ltd human resource delegate who tried to hire at Shanghai Jiao Tong University's job fair yesterday said about 50 percent of students have rejected job offers provided by the firm, while only 10 percent candidates did so in the past.

A similar pattern was reported at universities across the city.

The increase in job opportunities is mainly down to state-owned enterprises and private firms, as Europe's debt crisis has seen some multinational firms have reduced numbers of openings, according to officials.

"With the development of SOEs, many foreign firms are losing their appeal among students now," said Chen Haoming, a Fudan University official in charge of student employment.

While a few years ago, salaries provided by some multinationals were double those of domestic firms, the gap has shrunk a lot, said Chen.

Many private firms are offering high salaries to attract young professionals, with some postgraduates being offered 200,000 yuan (US$31,332) a year by private companies.

Shanghai Jiao Tong University has received recruitment requirements from more than 2,000 companies.

It launched its annual job fair in Minhang District yesterday, nearly two weeks earlier than usual, as companies clamor to get the best recruits.

Colleges have had to turn away employers wishing to attend job fairs, in contrast to 2008 and 2009, when they had to beg companies to take part.

Nearly 300 firms will attend the Fudan University's recruitment fair on December 2 - a 10 percent increase on last year. Others had to be turned away due to space constraints.