The Coping Strategies and Values Guidance of the 'Slow Employment' Phenomenon from the Perspective of Ideological and Political Education in Colleges and Universities

Wei Zhao

doi:10.70088/hnn2j456

Authors

Wei Zhao Hainan Vocational University of Science and Technology, Haikou, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/hnn2j456

Keywords:

Slow employment, Ideological and political education, Social cognitive career theory, Employment values, Youth development

Abstract

With the accelerated popularization of higher education and the emergence of structural contradictions in the labor market, "slow employment" has become an increasingly prevalent phenomenon among contemporary college graduates. This study employs Social Cognitive Career Theory (SCCT) and Career Anchor Theory as analytical frameworks, utilizing survey data from the National Bureau of Statistics Shanghai Survey Team's 2023 4,000-sample study, findings from the 2025 College Graduates Employment Association research project, and in-depth interviews with 217 "slow employment" graduates from three universities in eastern China. The research systematically analyzes the underlying mechanisms and demographic characteristics of this phenomenon. Results indicate that 38.0% of current graduates experience slow employment, with 84.2% being proactive cases and 15.8% passive cases. Four core influencing factors include individual career cognitive biases, family expectation constraints, insufficient career guidance services from universities, and structural labor market disparities. Based on these findings, the study proposes targeted solutions through three dimensions: value-oriented ideological education, competency empowerment, and practical support measures, providing theoretical references and actionable strategies for optimizing employment education systems in higher education institutions.

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