The Dilemma of Chinese Postgraduate Employment: First-Degree Discrimination

Abstract

In recent years, with the expansion of graduate enrollment and the increase in the number of graduate students, competition for employment among graduates has intensified. Consequently, a novel form of discrimination has emerged in the job market, significantly impinging on equal employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students alike. This article elucidates the emergence of this discrimination by employing a labor market discrimination model framework. Then the article introduces the prevailing methodologies for examining the existence and impact of discrimination in economics, makes comparations of representative literature data to demonstrate its violation of the equal employment rights of postgraduate students from diverse undergraduate backgrounds, resulting in substantial disparities in their employment rates and starting salaries. Furthermore, this article proposes solutions from three perspectives: enhance legislative construction, establish more scientific recruitment criteria and government measures. However, further research is required to examine the specific impact of this discrimination due to limited data samples.