The year 2011 was once dubbed the hardest year for job-hunting, with a record number of 6.3 million graduates leaving campuses across China. So what do you call 2013, with its nearly 7 million graduates entering the job market? It looks tough.
2011年曾被称为“史上最难就业年”，当年全国毕业生人数达到了创纪录的630万人。那么我们又该如何称呼2013年呢？今年有近700万毕业生涌入就业市场。形势很严峻。
April is considered the final phase of job-hunting for the majority of college seniors. But according to a recent report by Guangdong’s provincial education bureau, only 30 percent of graduates have signed an employment contract, reported Nanfang Daily.
对于大多数大四学生来说，四月是求职的冲刺阶段了。但据《南方日报》报道，广东省教育厅的最新报告显示，目前只有百分之三十的毕业生签订了就业合同。
Luo Weiqi, head of the Guangdong education bureau, said the situation this year is even more severe than in 2008, when the global financial crisis started. Luo attributes the difficulties of finding jobs to two factors.
广东省教育厅厅长罗伟其表示，今年的就业形势甚至比2008年全球金融危机开始时更为严峻。罗厅长将“就业难”这一现象归结于两点。
“Due to the global recession, demand for graduates remains weak as industries that rely on exports have been hit by reduced foreign consumption. Campus talks have decreased by 10 percent this year,” said Luo. “The other reason is the oversupply of graduates, nearly 7 million nationwide.”
“由于全球经济衰退，出口行业因国外消费萎缩而遭受重挫，对于毕业生的需求减少。2013年广东省企业校园宣讲会比去年减少了10%左右。”罗伟其说，“另一个原因是今年全国有近七百万毕业生，造成供大于求的现象。”
A trend of training those already employed to develop new skills is emerging among employers, which is also squeezing the chances of fresh graduates.
用人单位更倾向于对现有员工进行新技能的培训，这也使得毕业生的就业机会大打折扣。
At a recent discussion forum in Shanghai, Xu Jing, an HR manager, spoke to her counterparts from across the country. The majority of big companies now favor those with relevant work experience rather than fresh graduates.
前不久，在上海的某论坛上，某公司人事经理徐静（音译）在全国同行面前发言说，现今多数大公司更青睐具有相关工作经验的人，而非应届毕业生。
“When the economy is good, companies have the time and resources to train new hands,” said Xu. “But when they need to tighten their budgets, they want people who can do things straight away.”
“经济形势好的时候，公司有时间和精力来培训新人，”徐静说，“但当他们需要削减预算时，则更想要那些可以直接上手的人才。”
Another downside is that students always want a better deal.
另一个导致就业率下降的因素便是学生期望过高。
Wang Enbo, an economics major at Guangzhou University, received an offer from a local trading company to be an assistant sales manager on a salary of 2,500 yuan a month. But the 24-year-old wanted more, so she turned down the offer in the hope of finding a job with a better salary. She is still looking.
来自广州大学经济学专业的王恩博（音译）得到了当地一家贸易公司提供的助理销售经理职位，月薪2500元。但24岁的她对此并不满意，因此拒绝了这个机会，希望找到一个薪水更高的工作。目前她仍在求职中。
According to a white paper on employment in Guangdong province, the average salary for students with a bachelor’s degree was 2,795 yuan a month in the first quarter of this year.
广东省就业白皮书显示，今年一季度本科毕业生平均月薪为2795元。
“This is far below what students expect for an entry level job,” commented Li Zhiguo, who works for a marketing and consulting company based in Beijing.
“这与学生们对入门级工作的预期相去甚远。”来自北京一家市场咨询公司的李志国（音译）评论道。
Li said that although official numbers are not available, students nationwide expect a salary of around 3,500 yuan according to his estimation.
李志国说，虽然暂时还没有得到官方数据，但据他估计，国内毕业生的月薪期望值大概在3500元左右。
He suggests students adopt a more realistic approach to finding a job.
他建议学生们应该采用一些更加务实的求职方式。
“For entry level jobs, don’t focus too much on the money,” said Li. “Once you get through the first year things will be better.”
“对于入门级别的工作，不要过分看重薪水。”李志国说。“一旦顺利度过第一年，情况就会越来越好。”