A few days ago, the Ministry of Education and the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security held the 2024 National Conference on Employment and Entrepreneurship of Graduates of Ordinary Colleges and Universities, emphasizing the need to safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of employment, severely crack down on all kinds of violations of laws and regulations, effectively strengthen the supervision of recruitment behavior, enhance the awareness of graduates to protect their rights, and create a fair employment environment.
College graduates are a valuable human resource for the country. Promoting fuller and higher-quality employment of college graduates is directly related to the national economy and people's livelihood, to thousands of households, and to people's livelihood and well-being. According to statistics, the number of ordinary college graduates in the country in 2024 is expected to reach 11.79 million, an increase of 210,000 year-on-year, and a record high.
At present, the transformation of population and economic structure is accelerating, the international industrial chain is in-depth adjustment, and the number of low-end jobs in traditional industries is decreasing. China's employment is facing aggregate pressure and structural problems, and the employment pressure of young people, including college graduates, is greater. In the labor market, there is a structural mismatch in the employment of college graduates, and "difficulty in finding a job" and "difficulty in recruiting workers" coexist. Especially in recent years, some enterprises have taken advantage of the lack of experience and eagerness of college graduates to infringe on the legitimate rights and interests of job seekers. The occurrence of the phenomenon of damage to the rights and interests of graduates, such as fraudulent job search, unfair interviews, high work intensity, low practical Xi treatment, imperfect contracts, and discrimination in academic qualifications, has become a major problem affecting the fair employment of graduates.
Employment is the greatest livelihood of the people, and employment rights and interests are the rights and benefits that workers have in the process of employment, and are protected by law. Article 3 of the Labor Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates that "workers shall enjoy the right to equal employment and choice of occupation, the right to receive labor remuneration, the right to rest and vacation, the right to labor safety and health protection, the right to receive vocational skills training, the right to enjoy social insurance and welfare, the right to submit labor disputes for settlement, and other labor rights prescribed by law." "In the face of the complex domestic and international situation, how to actively create an equal employment environment, build a high-quality employment service system, and effectively safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of college graduates has become the focus of attention from all walks of life.
Employment work is a systematic project, which is comprehensive, complex, and intersectional, involving more than 10 departments such as education, human resources and social security, development and reform, finance, and civil affairs. The authority to formulate and manage the approval of many policies is scattered in different departments, and employment policies are still divided into regions, urban and rural areas, and departments. The Employment Promotion Law of the People's Republic of China clearly stipulates: "People at all levels should create a fair employment environment and eliminate employment discrimination." At present, it is necessary to adhere to the overall deployment of "a game of chess", and improve the employment coordination and cooperation mechanism of unified leadership, division of labor and responsibility, departmental linkage, and efficient operation.
It is necessary to maintain good order in the job market and strengthen the building of creditworthiness in the human resources market. Complete mechanisms for incentives for trustworthiness and punishments for untrustworthiness, advance joint regulation by multiple departments, increase the effectiveness of law enforcement, and severely crack down on violations of laws and regulations such as false recruitment, sales agreements, and "black job intermediaries" and "training loans" in accordance with law; It is strictly forbidden for enterprises to set up discriminatory clauses and restrictive conditions in their recruitment that violate state regulations, it is strictly forbidden to publish recruitment information that contains words such as "limited to a certain university", and it is strictly prohibited to publish demand information that violates state regulations on gender, household registration, educational background, and other discriminatory clauses. In this way, we can ensure a stable and orderly human resources market and strive to create a fair and just employment environment for graduates.
Further improve the early warning and handling mechanism for employment risks of college graduates. Coordinate employment and safety, study and judge the risks and hidden dangers faced by graduates in the process of employment, timely release early warning information on job hunting and employment, and include employers that infringe on the rights and interests of workers in the recruitment "blacklist" to help graduates prevent job search risks. With the increasingly prominent position of new forms of employment in the field of employment services and people's livelihood security, the number of college graduates with flexible employment has surged. In this regard, it is necessary to strengthen public employment services for new forms of employment and protect the labor rights and interests of flexible workers.
Colleges and universities are the main body responsible for the employment of graduates, and they need to mobilize the strength of the whole university to form a joint force to promote employment and open up the "last mile" of graduate employment services. Strengthen the construction of a digital employment service system, make good use of the national employment service platform for college students, promote the deep integration of employment services and digital technology, carry out online and offline integrated services, and provide graduates with digital, personalized and convenient employment services.
In view of the potential risks faced by graduates in job hunting, such as false recruitment, excessive liquidated damages, vague labor remuneration, and excessive probationary period, colleges and universities need to strengthen employment safety education and integrity education. Strengthen the professional and professional employment backbone team, carry out special education on the protection of employment rights and interests, invite professionals from the Labor and Personnel Dispute Arbitration Court to give lectures on the campus, explain the law with cases, and interpret in detail the laws and regulations on the conclusion of labor contracts, the termination of labor contracts, labor safety, labor disputes, social insurance, rest and vacation, etc. Through various forms of guidance and training, we help graduates learn to protect their legitimate rights and interests such as the right to know employment information, the right to choose their own employment, and the right to equal employment through legal aid, labor litigation, etc., and improve their awareness of law, contract, rights protection, and integrity.
Only by working together and working together can we create a fair employment environment, safeguard the legitimate rights and interests of college students, and promote fuller and higher-quality employment of college graduates.
The author is the executive director and doctoral supervisor of the National High-end Think Tank School of Education, Zhejiang University
*: China Education News.