Student accuses officials of hukou job discrimination

A graduating college student wrote an open letter to the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC) on Wednesday, accusing the latter of violating the law by requiring a Beijing hukou (residence permit) from prospective employees.

"Just a few days ago, Hu Xiaoyi, vice minister of human resources, said at a news conference that employers should get rid of job discrimination, now discrimination exists within some of the government departments, which is self-contradictory," wrote Liu Weiyi, from Northwest Normal University based in Gansu province, Lanzhou Morning Post reported.

The recruiting notice released by the SASAC on December 12 said the jobs are open to the public, but one of the preconditions is a permanent Beijing hukou.

The SASAC did not comment on Liu's open letter as of press time on Thursday.

It is not the first time Liu has found herself blocked from a job opportunity.

Earlier, she found a position at a logistics service center in Daxing district of Beijing was suitable for her. But the job required an urban Beijing hukou and personnel files already transferred to the city.

Even an agency affiliated with Beijing's human resources and social security bureau asked for Beijing hukou in a recruiting notice issued on October 28, according to Liu.

Liu, a senior student majoring in social work, said the discrimination added even more difficulty to students from outside the capital seeking for work. More than 230,000 students in Beijing are expected to graduate in summer 2014.

The city issues only about 10,000 hukou to outsiders every year, mainly new graduates hired by government agencies or State-owned enterprises, media reports said.