The monthly salary of undergraduate graduates is much lower, and the “high educational background and high consumption” become more and more intense
□Xiong Bingqi
In the morning of January 5th, the topic of #Undergraduate Graduation Monthly Average Starting Salary5825RMB# quickly became the number one hot search on Sina Weibo, sparking heated discussions among netizens.
According to reports, the research team of Peking University’s "National Survey on Employment of College Graduates" has conducted a questionnaire survey on college graduates starting in June 2021.
The sample includes 34 colleges and universities in 19 provinces in the eastern, central and western regions, with a sample size of more than 20,000.
The survey shows that in 2021, the arithmetic averages of monthly starting salaries for doctors, masters, undergraduates, and junior colleges are 14,823 yuan, 10113 yuan, 5825 yuan, and 3910 yuan respectively; the medians are 15,000 yuan, 9,000 yuan, 5,000 yuan, and 3,500 yuan respectively.
Netizens are discussing this topic hotly, focusing on two points: First, some college graduates feel that they are "averaged." ; Second, if the survey data objectively reflects the average starting salary of college graduates, the inevitable choice of the educated is: to increase the degree of education as much as possible to obtain better employment opportunities and higher salaries.
Among them, the latter has more discussions than the former.
Recently, reports of vocational school students' “hot demand” have also aroused public attention.
However, "vocational school students manpower 2 to 4 offers" and "vocational technical college students were robbed before graduation" can only show that the social needs of vocational school students are strong, and cannot explain the salary situation of vocational school students' employment positions.
The average starting salary for college graduates is less than 4,000 yuan, nearly 2,000 yuan lower than that of undergraduate graduates, and nearly 6,000 yuan lower than that of master’s graduates. This explains why the employment rate of vocational school graduates is high, but vocational education is not popular. .
To increase the attractiveness of vocational education and build a skill-based society that advocates skills and lacks academic qualifications, it is necessary to curb the phenomenon of "high academic qualifications consumption", and make salaries related to weak academic qualifications and strong abilities.
The higher the academic qualifications, the higher the average starting salary, which is understandable.
However, the median starting salary of master's graduates is 80% higher than that of undergraduates, and about 160% higher than the median starting salary of college graduates. This phenomenon undoubtedly shows that the academic qualifications are The key factor that determines the salary package.
The survey data is basically consistent with the current education-only employment orientation of some employers.
The phenomenon of “first degree” discussed by public opinion does not mean that employers recruit undergraduates from prestigious schools, but for job seekers with a doctorate degree, they must also check the “three generations of educational backgrounds” and look at the “first degree”. "Master's degree + first degree" recruitment.
The average starting salary of undergraduates and junior college graduates is much lower than that of masters and doctoral graduates, reflecting the growing problem of "high educational background and high consumption".
This is related to two factors: First, the supply of highly educated talents in my country has increased. According to the National Education Development Statistical Bulletin, in 2020, my country will graduate 728,600 postgraduates, of which 66,200 are Ph.D candidates and 662,500 are postgraduates. .
In 2000, my country’s general higher education graduates (from junior college to doctoral degree) totaled less than 900,000; second, employers continued to raise the requirements for academic qualifications, and recruited highly educated talents as one of the important goals of talent team building. Even jobs that can be performed by junior college students are required to graduate with a master's degree.
In this employment environment, how can we increase the attractiveness of vocational education?
In order to enhance the status and attractiveness of vocational education, my country is strengthening the construction of vocational undergraduates. However, the difference in salary at different levels of education indicates that the development of vocational undergraduates is not enough to enhance the status of vocational education. Oriented education, such as encouraging vocational undergraduate graduates to take postgraduate entrance examinations, also deviates from the orientation of employment-oriented education.
To solve this problem, it is necessary to require party and government agencies, institutions, state-owned enterprises and other employers to recruit, reverse the education-only orientation, lower the requirements for academic qualifications, and give skilled talents an equal opportunity and environment for competition.
In November last year, the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security issued the "Notice on Issues Concerning Vocational College Graduates Participating in Public Recruitment of Public Institutions", requiring public institutions to establish the correct concept of selecting and appointing people in public recruitment, and to eliminate the employment orientation of only prestigious schools and only academic qualifications. Effectively safeguard and guarantee the legal rights and equal opportunities of competition for graduates of vocational colleges to participate in public recruitment by public institutions.
In the public recruitment of public institutions for positions with vocational skill level requirements, the academic qualification requirements may be appropriately reduced, or the academic qualification requirements may no longer be set.
This needs to be practically implemented.
(The author is a well-known educational scholar)