CNNC Recruitment Reflects China's Job Market Pressures

China National Nuclear Corporation, a major state-owned nuclear energy company, revealed the intense competition faced by graduating students in the job market. The company's spring campus recruitment drive attracted nearly 1.2 million applications for 1,730 job categories. This announcement highlighted the fierce competition for desirable positions within state-owned enterprises.

The initial announcement, posted on CNNC's recruitment WeChat account, was later removed, prompting public discussion. The recruitment drive took place in 10 cities and at 14 top universities. The company stated it had "1,730 core position needs" across over 100 subsidiaries. On-site events were attended by over 3,100 students, with 425,284 candidates submitting applications.

CNNC, with assets of approximately 1.4 trillion yuan and a workforce of around 180,000, including 14 academicians, previously advertised that this year's hires would work in fields such as nuclear science, construction and engineering, geology and minerals, and environment and chemicals.

Some critics felt the emphasis on the large application numbers was insensitive to applicants. One news outlet commented that the company's focus on the numbers, while intended to showcase its appeal, could be misleading and lacked the appropriate consideration for applicants' feelings.

CNNC Recruitment later clarified that the 1,730 figure referred to job categories, with an estimated 8,000 hires planned. Each applicant could apply for up to 20 positions. Even with this clarification, the hiring rate remains low, indicating a challenging job market for China's graduates seeking employment in similar state-owned enterprises.

China's employment market is under pressure. The Minister of Human Resources and Social Security acknowledged that job expansion remains a challenge. With 12.22 million college graduates expected this year, competition for jobs is expected to intensify.