HANGZHOU/GUANGZHOU - After two hours trawling through positions at an employment market in Zhejiang province, East China's economic powerhouse, Liu Jiajia left without applying for any of the jobs on offer.

"I am looking for a monthly salary of about 3,000 yuan (about $479.7), but the wages are around 2,000 yuan," she said.

Liu, from China's most populous province of Henan, returned to her hometown after the Lunar New Year holiday, as she concerned that job opportunities might be scarce.

The Hangzhou Human Resources Market is one of the largest employment markets along the country's coastal regions.

Last year, the event attracted 866 employers offering 19,202 jobs.

The Lunar New Year holiday is often taken by many employees as a good time to change jobs, especially migrant workers who have returned home for the New Year, as such, many job markets are organized around this time of year.

However, the market reflected the larger trend in the manufacturing industry, which is bearing the brunt of downward pressure.

Unclear outlook

Lin Xiaopeng, another job seeker at the job fair, also from Henan, voiced the same gripes as Liu.

"There are not many manufacturing positions, most vacancies were in the service sector, such as salesmen and cashiers," Lin lamented.