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Recently, human resources and social security departments in Shandong, Guangxi and other places announced that they would adjust the identification standards for fresh graduates. The core content mainly includes two aspects: first, relax the restrictions on graduation time, such as clarifying that college graduates must have graduated in the past two years or even the past three years. Second, having worked and paid social security is no longer a negative factor and can also be considered a fresh graduate.

The adjustment of the policy on the identification of new graduates has sparked heated discussions. In fact, in recent years, colleges and universities have strongly called for the relaxation of the identification of graduates.

If we trace back to the origin, fresh graduates are a typical product of the planned economic system. In the past period, higher education was an important talent selection channel for units at all levels, so fresh graduates were the core source of employment. Colleges and universities participate in the selection and training of talents, which can guarantee quality and also ensure fairness and justice in employment to the greatest extent.

Over the past 40 years since the reform and opening up, many employers still adhere to the creed of recruiting fresh graduates. In the 2024 civil service recruitment plan, more than 65% of the positions are open only to fresh graduates. Related supporting policies such as settlement, home purchase and housing subsidies are also linked to fresh graduates, and the added value of fresh graduates' qualifications is getting higher and higher.

Objectively speaking, many units within the system emphasize the qualifications of fresh graduates, which is still positive for promoting the employment of college students, that is, they provide differentiated protection for fresh university graduates who lack work experience and social experience and lack competitiveness in the job market. However, it is worth noting that this policy has increasingly serious side effects in the practice of college students' employment, especially the restriction on graduation in the same year, which has become increasingly prominent as a constraint and obstacle to college students' employment.

In 2024, the number of graduates from regular colleges and universities nationwide will reach 11.79 million, a new record high. At the same time, in the past few years, the employment destinations of college students have changed more significantly, and the stable system has become the ideal destination for a large number of graduates. In recent years, the popularity of military and police schools, normal schools, and commissioned students in the college entrance examination are all important manifestations of this employment choice.

Based on the above reality, the restrictions on the qualifications of recent university graduates within the system, including the blessing effect of additional policies such as settlement, have gradually been amplified, producing a counter-effect like a baton. In order to maintain the employment advantage of recent graduates, a large number of graduates have tried every means to postpone graduation before finding an ideal job and entering the system. Even if some graduates have a job, they dare not apply for social security to avoid losing their qualifications to enter the system, causing more interference with the employment of university graduates. This policy, which theoretically promotes the employment of university graduates, has become an institutional obstacle to the employment of college students.

It should be said that the adjustment of the identity recognition of recent graduates by human resources and social security departments in many places is a positive response to the calls of the majority of graduates and their parents. It is also the beginning of deepening the reform of the employment system and mechanism in accordance with the new employment factors and environmental changes.

In 2024, the government work report set the expected urban employment target at more than 12 million, and it is crucial to solve the employment of 11.79 million college graduates. In the next 10 years, the number of college graduates will continue to grow with the development of higher education, and the employment of college graduates will become more critical.

In this context, relevant departments need to keep pace with the times and comprehensively and systematically examine which policies are restricting and hindering the employment of college students, creating obstacles for their flexible and full employment. They must not stick to the original mindset, such as firmly limiting the concept of recent college graduates.

Against the backdrop of universal higher education, the concept of "fresh graduates" within the system has less and less value in protecting the employment of university graduates, and is becoming less and less suitable for building a non-discriminatory and fair employment environment. It is necessary to consider withdrawing from it at the right time.

Of course, other relevant departments must also take action, and the policies such as settlement and housing subsidies attached to recent university graduates must also be adjusted synchronously to fully serve the employment of university graduates.

(The author is an academic member of the China Education Development Strategy Society)

Author: Chen Zhiwen

Editor: Du Wei