According to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security, the employment rate of college graduates last year was 90.7 percent, 3 percentage points higher than that in 2009. Inspiring as it is, the employment rate probably fails to mirror the actual employment status of graduates, says an article in Jiefang Daily. Excerpts:

The method used to determine the employment rate has created some scandals in recent years and has been criticized. But despite the controversy, there is hardly any investigation mechanism to eliminate the shortcomings in the method. Government officials cling to their statistical methods, claiming them to be scientific and factual.

This is understandable because the employment rate is taken as a reference in rating government officials' work. Colleges and their staff members fail to confront the methods and their results, because the employment rate can decide the enrollment rate and reputation of a college or university.

A high employment rate can create an illusion and put college education in a crisis. Besides, faking the employment rate can make government officials, and colleges and their staff members lose their credibility, and have a serious impact on students.

In reality, many college graduates face grave challenges in getting a job. An artificially hiked employment rate conceals the real problem and thus degrades educational quality. Consequently, college graduates will find it even harder to find a job.

Furthermore, if the employment rate does not point to the real situation, the country will lose the ground to design and adjust its educational strategy.  

(China Daily 02/01/2011 page9)