China's college graduates hit by jobs downturn amid coronavirus

Hirings tumble as competition intensifies with experienced workers joining market

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The near-empty grounds of Tsinghua University in Beijing. In the third week after the Lunar New Year, job openings for university graduates in China plummeted 44% compared with the same period last year. © AFP/Jiji

COCO LIU and NIKKI SUN, Nikkei staff writers

HONG KONG -- Like many university students in China who are looking at the future job market, Liu Yiyi has faced unexpected challenges brought on by the outbreak of the new coronavirus.

The 24-year-old, who is due to graduate this summer, first was stranded at home for weeks in China's northern Henan Province because of travel restrictions imposed by the government over large regions around the country. Then she received a phone call that could put an end to her plan of becoming a teacher after graduation.

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