[0] The graduation season is here and a batch of new graduates are now seeking for opportunities. How about the economy? Is it improving? According to last year's statistics released by the Kaohsiung City Government, individuals with masters degrees or higher will face greater challenges in landing a position, with 100 job seekers vying for one vacancy. ## [1]A student surnamed Liu who graduated from a national university this year started his job search early. Through job fairs held by job banks and the school, he has submitted around 60 resumes to over 20 companies in southern Taiwan since March. However, only 7 companies arranged interviews with him, and only one of them offered him a job, which was not the job he expected. Another student surnamed Wang has been facing a similar situation, saying that job opportunities in Kaohsiung area are sparse and the salaries are much lower than that in the northern Taiwan. Ironically, students with higher educational backgrounds do not stand better chances in the job market. According to statistics provided by the Kaohsiung City Government's Department of Budget, Accounting, and Statistics (DBAS), one job applicant with graduate diploma has to face competition from other 99 job seekers for only one job; the higher their education levels are, the fewer job opportunities they have. Those with a masters degree or higher have the most trouble finding work. For instance, a company that offers two job openings has received over 226 resumes from graduate students. Kaohsiung's DBAS said that the unemployment rate in Kaohsiung in 2010 ranked the highest in the nation. Even though the unemployment rate last year has dropped to 4.69%, it is still difficult for people with higher education levels to find jobs. Regarding this problem, the Kaohsiung Economic Development Bureau said that it is because most companies in Kaohsiung area are traditional industries. There are expected to be more job openings for people with higher education after the traditional industries have shifted to knowledge-intense industries in two to three years. The Council of Labor Affairs has also found that most unemployed population with high educational backgrounds are the new graduates entering the workforce under the age of 25. And regarding the overall job market in southern Taiwan, 4,700 new graduates registered as job applicants while 6,290 job postings were open in May, meaning that job applicants still have a low chance of landing a job. &&