Coronavirus weakens job market for record number of Chinese graduates

FILE PHOTO: Students shield themselves from the sun as they line up at a job fair at a university in Guangzhou, Guangdong province, China November 29, 2018. Tan Qingju/Southern Metropolis Daily via REUTERS/File Photo

BEIJING (Reuters) - The coronavirus outbreak is denting the prospects of this year's record 8.7 million-strong Chinese university graduating class, with many students stuck at home just as the corporate recruitment season usually swings into high gear.

Graduates are worrying less about catching the virus than the impact it will have on their careers as company-organised recruiting events on campuses across China are pushed back or cancelled amid nationwide bans on public gatherings to avoid the spread of disease.