About 80 percent of local college students are willing to lower salary expectations in their first jobs, according to a report issued by the Shanghai Educational Press Group.

Researchers talked to 2,000 students from 20 local college students over the past two months and found that 56 percent were worried about getting jobs under the current economic crisis while less than 40 percent received related instruction or lectures.

The study shows that those with higher certificates and closer to graduation were more worried about jobs and the economy.

About 41 percent, mostly postgraduates and undergraduates, thought the economic and employment downturn would last for two more years.

About 35 percent, mainly vocational and non-senior students, thought economic and employment conditions would recover slowly over the next two years.

More holders of bachelors degree (92 percent) said they were willing to lower salary expectations than those with masters degree (79 percent).

About 2 percent said they would accept a salary below 1,000 yuan (US$146.5), 81 percent choose 1,001 yuan to 3,000 yuan, 10 percent 3,001 yuan to 4,000 yuan, and 7 percent above 4,000 yuan.

Most vocational students' salary expectations ranged from 1,001 to 2,500 yuan, most graduates' from 1,501 yuan to 3,000 yuan, and most postgraduates' above 3,100 yuan.

Under the Shanghai Labor and Social Security Bureau's salary guideline issued in April last year, the average monthly salary for new vocational students was 1,996 yuan, 2,567 yuan for bachelors and 4,650 for those with masters.

Yao Minqiang, vice editor-in-chief of the press group which carried out the survey, said it also exposed an employment structure paradox. Many teachers couldn't find jobs in downtown schools while schools in suburban areas such as Chongming Island and Changxing Island had a lack of teachers every year.

He also said that schools should guide students to look for jobs online and build connections with their predecessors instead of simply relying on lectures on the subject or companies' enrollment meetings.

(Shanghai Daily January 4, 2009)