Diversification and Involution: Trend Analysis of Changes in Employment Intention of College Students (2015—2023)

The employment intention of college students is an important part of the professional values of young people, and is an important prerequisite for understanding their employment choices and predicting their employment behavior. In recent years, especially since the popularization of higher education, the employment situation of college students has faced many new unfavorable factors in the external environment and internal structure. The employment willingness of college students has also shown new characteristics and development trends. Using the data from 2015 to 2023 Panel Survey of China University Student (PSCUS), this study analyzes the new characteristics, trends, impact mechanisms, and changes of college students' employment willingness. Research has found that in the past decade, the employment willingness of college students has generally shown a trend of diversified choices, while also reflecting the characteristics of "internal competition in further education" and "internal competition within the system". The differences in macro external environment, family capital, and individual human capital among college students all affect the differentiation of their employment intentions. The negative impact of changes in the employment willingness of college students on their successful employment needs to be given sufficient attention.