A graduate talks with job recruiters at a career fair at Nanchang University in Nanchang, Jiangxi province, on Oct 23, 2021. [Photo/Xinhua]

The Ministry of Education has given university and college administrators the task of approaching a minimum of 100 companies in search of employment opportunities for graduates.

A record 10.76 million new graduates are expected to enter the job market this year, adding to the challenges the market is already facing due to COVID-19 and downward economic pressure, it said in a notice on Tuesday.

To better focus on expanding employment opportunities, the ministry has launched a special campaign that will run until August which requires that Party secretaries and presidents of higher education institutions invite company representatives to campuses to hire graduates.

Universities are to actively make use of faculty and alumni resources to reach out to companies and to establish internship centers for new graduates.

Each university's Party secretary and president are to visit a minimum of 100 employers, while administrators of universities with lower-than-average employment rates are urged to visit even more.

Based on the campaign, universities are to establish routine communications with employers, list job vacancies, and continually expand new employment opportunities.

The ministry will keep track of progress, which will be part of the evaluation process for university administrators, the notice added.