Xiao Huachang, a college graduate in east China's Jiangxi Province has signed an employment agreement with his father as it is the only way he can obtain his graduation certificate.
Xiao majored in business administration at the East China Institute of Technology in the provincial capital of Nanchang and will graduate in July.
However, the institute has a regulation that holding an employment agreement is needed to get a graduation certificate.
"I started looking for a job and sent more than 110 resumes since October, but only got 10 interviews and no offers," said Xiao, adding that he had no choice but to sign an agreement with his father.
Xiao's father runs a toy factory in neighboring Zhejiang Province.
The institute's regulation is not common, but Xiao is not alone among the record-high 6.99 million graduates who are struggling to find a job.
Due to the bleak employment outlook, attending universities via the annual college entrance examination remains the first choice for most Chinese students. Alternatives such as vocational education are not attractive to many.
A Ministry of Education spokeswoman said on Wednesday that some 9.12 million applicants are expected to take this year's college entrance exam, a slight drop from the 9.15 million in 2012.
The exam is known as the "single-log bridge" to a Chinese university and many examinees view it as a "life-or-death" moment.
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