GUANGZHOU: Four State-owned banks offering about 2,000 vacancies for university graduates next year attracted more than 18,000 candidates in a job fair in this capital of Guangdong province yesterday.

That means an average of nine students will have to compete for each opening.

Li Chuanfang, deputy director of Guangdong provincial bureau of talent, said Guangdong's employment market is still tough for university graduates, despite signs of an economic recovery this year.