An order for officials to pull strings to ensure jobs for graduates has sparked heated debate in an east coast city.

The personnel bureau in Weifang, Shandong Province, ordered every official in the bureau to use their influence and connections to help at least three university graduates this year, Qilu Evening News reported.

Netizens doubted whether graduates from poor families, among the 60,000 graduates hunting for jobs in Weifang this year, would get priority for assistance.

Zhang Zhengzhi, the deputy director of Weifang's personnel bureau, said the May 14 order is not compulsory and would give priority to poor students.

"Do the math -- 60 officials can only help 180 graduates in our city," he said.

"We only want to set an example to promote employment rather than take care of all job hunters."

In the face of a gloomy employment crisis, a Chinese human resources expert yesterday warned that local governments should make more efforts to facilitate the transfer of information between graduates and enterprises.

"The rule may put pressure on officials, who might play tricks with some companies to provide temporary offers to graduates to enhance the employment rate," said Wu Yongping, deputy director of public policy and management institution under Tsinghua University. "An official's duty should focus on organizing more employment fairs for students, and providing students' information to companies."

(China Daily May 18, 2009)