Residents now more confident in job-seeking

SHANGHAI residents are increasingly confident about their employment prospects, according to a report by the Shanghai Human Resources and Social Security Bureau.

Among 6,000 households survey by the bureau, over 51 percent of respondents said they were “confident” about their chances of finding work, up 8.3 percentage points from a similar survey conducted last year. Those who had “no confidence” accounted for 17.1 percent of respondents, down 1.1 percentage points.

Bureau experts said these results reflect the city’s continued economic development.

Those born in the 1990s reported the strongest confidence, followed by those born in the 1980s. Recent graduates, however, had the lowest confidence levels.

Experts noted that graduating students lack job-seeking experience. And they are encouraged to seek internships or other training opportunities to develop skills and competitiveness in the local job market.

The average expected salary among all respondents was 5,277 yuan (US$775) per month, up 3.4 percent from last year.

Distance between work and home was the most common reason for changing jobs, being cited by 21 percent of interviewees, up 3.7 percentage points from last year.

Personal connections were still an important resource for local job-seekers. About 25 percent of those surveyed said acquaintances had recommended jobs to them, down 3.2 percentage points from last year.

Meanwhile, 25.8 percent of those surveyed said that they consulted recruiting websites in their job search, up 4.4 percentage points from last year.