An African student is hired by a Chinese company at a job fair in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China, in December 2019 (AFRICA GUANGDONG BUSINESS ASSOCIATION)

Sannie Chinyadza is a second year student at the South China University of Technology in Guangzhou, Guangdong Province in south China. Although the young Zimbabwean still has two years to go before graduation, she went to a job fair for African students held in Guangzhou, to get information about the job market in order to be better prepared. She hopes to return home after graduation.

"I aim to gain some experience here in China that we (Zimbabweans) can use back home. We have a lot to learn from China," she told ChinAfrica.

Sannie is one of about 300 young Africans who came to the job fair in early December last year. More than 30 Guangdong companies investing in Africa have recruited local talent in Africa at the job fair. These jobs come from various fields, including medicine, electrical energy, scientific and technological innovation, machinery and equipment, petrochemicals and motor vehicles.

"This job fair serves two purposes. On one hand, Chinese companies can find African talent that will inject new strength into their projects and investments on the continent. On the other, for African students in China, these companies are an opportunity for internships and employment," Lin Yi, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, told ChinAfrica.

African students at the job fair in Guangzhou on December 5, 2019 (AFRICA GUANGDONG BUSINESS ASSOCIATION)

Destination of choice

Guangdong has a vibrant private economy and the province is one of the first in China to respond to the Belt and Road Initiative. With an important place in the initiative, Africa has become one of the first choices for Guangdong entrepreneurs. According to customs figures, Guangdong's trade with Africa increased from $2.81 billion in 2003 to $38.66 billion in 2018, accounting for 19 percent of total trade between Africa and China. Until last year, nearly 300 companies from Guangdong have entered the African market. At the same time, cultural exchanges between Guangdong and African countries are increasing. The province has twinned with 12 cities in eight African countries and signed friendly cooperation memoranda with 12 NGOs in 10 countries on the continent.

"Guangdong is a destination of choice for African students and workers," said Ouyang Jiangxuan, Vice President of Guangdong People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries. Nearly 4,000 African students are studying in universities in the province. Thanks to the commercial and cultural development, this fair offers them a multitude of possibilities.

Guangzhou Fekonmotor, a motorcycle company founded in 2005, launched its activities in Africa in 2010. At the fair, the company recruited seven Africans for the positions of sales manager, accountant, sales representative and interpreter. "We want these students to enjoy the job and our products. One of our company's priorities is to help our employees improve their professional skills. Therefore, as long as they are willing to learn, they are welcome," Zou Sheng, HR Manager of the company, told ChinAfrica.

It is not the first time this kind of fair is organized for African students. The first such fair was held in Beijing in November 2017. At that time, about 1,000 students from 52 African countries submitted their resumes online, 400 participated in the event and 66 Chinese companies offered nearly 500 jobs in Africa.

Need for job creation

Africa has 1.3 billion people, 20 percent of whom are aged 15 to 24 years. By 2025, young Africans will represent a quarter of the world's youth. The continent's high unemployment rate, up to 60 percent, has forced leaders to take relevant measures to enable young people to receive education and vocational training.

In 2018, the South African Government introduced a plan for youth employment. According to the plan, companies will set up paid internships of one year for young people aged 18 to 35 years, with a minimum wage of $252 per month. This plan has received positive feedback from some large South African companies. The Kenyan Government is also working with the World Bank to implement the opportunity plan for the employment of Kenyan youth (2016-21). The aim is to offer job training and internships to 280,000 young people. The main beneficiaries of the program are unemployed people aged 18 to 29 years.

With the joint promotion of the China-Africa Cooperation Forum and the Belt and Road Initiative, China-Africa trade and economic cooperation continues to intensify. According to data from the Chinese Ministry of Commerce, by the end of 2018, more than 3,700 different types of Chinese enterprises were set up in Africa. Sino-African cooperation helped ease the problem of employment in Africa.

Jeremy Stevens, an economist at Standard Bank Group in South Africa, said that China has undertaken many projects in Africa and has created more jobs there than any other country in the world. According to him, Chinese investments on the continent are mainly concentrated in labor-intensive industries. On the other hand, job creation is a priority in foreign investment approval by African countries. Chinese companies are willing to hire Africans. A report from the World Bank shows that 93 percent of Chinese companies in Kenya recruit African employees.

Currently, Chinese companies also cooperate with Chinese universities and trade associations to provide African graduates in China with job opportunities and vocational training. At the same time, it helps these companies identify suitable African talent, thus speeding up the localization process.

(Comments to glj@chinafrica.cn)