Chinese social organizations have been encouraged to create more suitable job openings for young people, especially college graduates, and to provide them with detailed services related to job seeking and entrepreneurship to help stabilize the domestic job market.

The Ministry of Civil Affairs and the Ministry of Education jointly published a notice in late June encouraging social organizations to continue in their efforts to assist college graduates in finding jobs.

Social organizations in China refer to social groups, foundations and private entities registered at the civil affairs ministry and operating nonprofit social services, such as the China Hospitality Association and the China Environmental Protection Foundation. China has around 880,000 social organizations.

In the latest notice, civil affairs bureaus and education departments at all levels are encouraged to play active roles in guiding social organizations to develop more suitable job openings or internship opportunities for college graduates — whose population is projected to reach 12.22 million this year — in sectors such as education, healthcare, technology, social assistance, elderly and child care.

Social organizations can take advantage of their abilities to coordinate and help universities connect with their members or companies. The organizations are also encouraged to organize visits for college students to member companies and grassroots communities so that the students can learn more about their work and conditions.

The local civil affairs and education authorities are also encouraged to promote cooperation among industrial associations and research institutes to jointly analyze the employment situation, talent needs in the job market and brainstorm suitable approaches to offer young people, especially college graduates, guidance and consultancy on entrepreneurship.

Social organizations involved in vocational education are encouraged to organize skills training programs for elderly, child care and domestic services for college graduates.

These organizations can build up practical training bases with vocational schools or colleges, providing volunteering services and skills training for graduates.

Social organizations involved in legal services are encouraged to popularize legal knowledge among college students and colleges to improve their legal literacy, mediate disputes or offer them legal assistance and help the government to eliminate fraudulent recruitment information.

The notice has also urged local authorities to offer supportive policies and financial incentives to social organizations. Social organizations that hire fresh graduates, graduates yet to land jobs two years after graduating, or those aged between 16 and 24, and sign standard labor contracts and pay them social insurance for over three months, can enjoy the same one-time financial subsidies from the government as companies do. This amounts to roughly 1,500 yuan ($210) for each employee.

Some provinces have taken steps to utilize the strength of social organizations to promote local employment in recent years. In mid-March, Ningbo in Zhejiang province organized a job fair with over 60 social organizations and companies involved, offering 400-plus job openings covering administrative management, social services and finance.

In Hubei province, a three-year action plan was released in 2023 saying that the government will support social organizations to develop job openings and provide employment services for the public. The action plan sets a target of encouraging social organizations in the province to create 300 charitable brands and take on over 400,000 people by the end of this year.

Figures from the Ministry of Civil Affairs show that last year, social organizations across the nation recruited about 150,000 college graduates as employees, and hired about 92,000 interns. They have organized some 47,000 events focusing on employment services and encouraged 347,000 member organizations to offer 1.13 million job openings.