College graduates look for jobs at a campus job fair. [Photo/ourjiangsu.com]

More than 50 percent of the college graduates in Jiangsu have found a job or will pursue further education, according to a press conference held by the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education on May 28.

This year, the province has faced challenges in graduates' employment, with the total number of students reaching a record high of over 600,000 for the first time, according to Xu Zhengya, director of the college student affairs office of the Jiangsu Provincial Department of Education.

He also noted that supportive policies carried out by the regions across the province to attract talents, the stabilization and recovery of the economy that has offered stable job demand guarantees for college graduates' employment, as well as innovative-driven development models have created new jobs and opportunities for these graduates.

In order to boost employment, 167 universities and institutes across the province have organized about 1,000 recruiting activities both online and offline since March, according to Hu Jianping, director of the provincial recruitment and employment service center for college students.

In addition, the province has also taken actions to promote employment and alleviate graduates' feelings of pressure, including establishing specialized support programs for graduates with disabilities, as well as graduates who are from impoverished families or ethnic minority groups, Xu added. 

Data shows that the total number of college graduates in Jiangsu has been increasing every year, from 548,000 in 2016 to 578,000 in 2020, with the employment rate above 85 percent every year, except in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.