Cultural and creative industries in Zhongshan have created business startup platforms for young people. [Photo/Guangzhou Daily]

Zhongshan Investigation Team of the National Bureau of Statistics conducted a survey in 5 colleges and universities in Zhongshan in May, interviewing 1,284 fresh graduates. About 66% of fresh graduates in Zhongshan have either been employed or started their own businesses.

The interviewees are fresh graduates from local higher vocational and technical colleges, junior colleges and universities, of which 43.2% are male and 56.8% female.

As of May 2019, some 66% of interviewed graduates had either been employed or started their own businesses, 13.2% had either been ready to be employed or started their own businesses, 12.2% had no intentions to do so, and 8.6% had not found jobs.

Out of the students who had either not been employed or started their own businesses, some 49.6% said they wanted further studies for personal development and 24.3% had not found suitable jobs.

According to this survey, the percentage of students whose jobs or businesses matched with their majors reaches 58.7%.

It has been discovered that graduates attach more importance to salary and housing security: 85.4% of the interviewed students look forward to having a job with salary security, 65.4% either choose house purchasing or renting, 49.5% expect a platform to promote employment and entrepreneurship, meaning a platform that can be built to provide more employment and entrepreneurship opportunities, 45.2% expect tax relief for employment and entrepreneurship and other policy support, and 13.9% expect that the employers should help them get registered for permanent residence.

Out of the interviewed graduates, 89.8% are willing to work in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, because they feel that opportunities there are relatively better. Only 10.2% of the interviewed graduates are not willing to work in the Greater Bay Area due to their family, friends, fierce competition, too much pressure, and parents' demands.