Chinese military in big drive to trim ranks of first-time job seekers
BEIJING: - China’s armed forces will recruit more than 120,000 university graduates this year, in what is said to be the largest such drive, state media reported yesterday.
The move comes as the country strains to find jobs for six million fresh entrants to its workforce this summer, even as one million from last year are still looking for jobs, Xinhua news agency said.
Citing the Defence Ministry’s recruitment office, the report said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will increase its age limit for recruits from 20 to 23 for graduates with a higher education degree, and 24 for those with a bachelor’s degree.
As a sign-on bonus, enlistees will receive a one-off payment of up to 24,000 yuan (S$5,100) to cover their college tuition fees and student loans, according to a military source. In return, they will have to serve in the military for two years.
It is the first time the PLA has recruited college graduates on such a large scale, according to a website run by the Education Ministry to help college graduates find jobs.
The army - whose budget increased 15 per cent this year to 480.7 billion yuan - is also seeking to sign on more than 1,000 pilots from a pool of 70,000 high school graduates this year, Xinhua said.
Recruiters say the aggressive recruitment campaign will help reduce the current overflow of graduates looking for that first job. The government has promised to find jobs for 88 per cent of all graduates by the end of the year. So far, less than half have received offers, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
However, some graduates who see an army stint as only a stopgap measure during the job crunch are concerned that they could find it hard to land a civilian job after serving the two-year PLA bond.
New graduate Liu Min was quoted by CCTV as saying: ‘If I join the army now, two years later, I won’t have any advantage compared to the fresh graduates. That won’t help my career.’
Soon-to-be graduate Lu Jian said: ‘I would choose to join the army only when I was a freshman. Now? What am I going to do with my major?’
Chinese law states that all men aged 18 to 22 must be available for military service. However, university and college students can delay military service until after graduation, which means most do not get conscripted because they are over 22 by the time they complete their studies.
Thus, the 2.3-million strong PLA has had to hire more graduates in tandem with the modernisation drive of the world’s largest army in recent years. Conscription is also open to female college students aged between 17 and 20 who are taller than 1.62m.
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PLA to recruit 120,000 grads
Chinese military in big drive to trim ranks of first-time job seekers
BEIJING: - China’s armed forces will recruit more than 120,000 university graduates this year, in what is said to be the largest such drive, state media reported yesterday.
The move comes as the country strains to find jobs for six million fresh entrants to its workforce this summer, even as one million from last year are still looking for jobs, Xinhua news agency said.
Citing the Defence Ministry’s recruitment office, the report said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will increase its age limit for recruits from 20 to 23 for graduates with a higher education degree, and 24 for those with a bachelor’s degree.
As a sign-on bonus, enlistees will receive a one-off payment of up to 24,000 yuan (S$5,100) to cover their college tuition fees and student loans, according to a military source. In return, they will have to serve in the military for two years.
It is the first time the PLA has recruited college graduates on such a large scale, according to a website run by the Education Ministry to help college graduates find jobs.
The army - whose budget increased 15 per cent this year to 480.7 billion yuan - is also seeking to sign on more than 1,000 pilots from a pool of 70,000 high school graduates this year, Xinhua said.
Recruiters say the aggressive recruitment campaign will help reduce the current overflow of graduates looking for that first job. The government has promised to find jobs for 88 per cent of all graduates by the end of the year. So far, less than half have received offers, China Central Television (CCTV) reported.
However, some graduates who see an army stint as only a stopgap measure during the job crunch are concerned that they could find it hard to land a civilian job after serving the two-year PLA bond.
New graduate Liu Min was quoted by CCTV as saying: ‘If I join the army now, two years later, I won’t have any advantage compared to the fresh graduates. That won’t help my career.’
Soon-to-be graduate Lu Jian said: ‘I would choose to join the army only when I was a freshman. Now? What am I going to do with my major?’
Chinese law states that all men aged 18 to 22 must be available for military service. However, university and college students can delay military service until after graduation, which means most do not get conscripted because they are over 22 by the time they complete their studies.
Thus, the 2.3-million strong PLA has had to hire more graduates in tandem with the modernisation drive of the world’s largest army in recent years. Conscription is also open to female college students aged between 17 and 20 who are taller than 1.62m.
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