As graduation season nears, Habtamu Tiruneh, a fifth-year mechanical and industrial engineering student at Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia, is determined to leverage the school's annual job fair to secure employment despite the daunting labor market challenges.

At the fair, Chinese firms engaging in Ethiopia's key development sectors -- from infrastructure to information and communications technology -- drew waves of eager applicants.

ADDIS ABABA, May 21 (Xinhua) -- As graduation season nears, Habtamu Tiruneh, a fifth-year mechanical and industrial engineering student at Addis Ababa University (AAU) in Ethiopia, is determined to leverage the school's annual job fair to secure employment despite the daunting labor market challenges.

Tiruneh is particularly interested in finding a job or internship opportunity with one of the dozens of Chinese companies present at the fair, which is held from Monday to Tuesday as part of the AAU's Research and Fairs Week themed "Enhancing Employability and University-Industry Collaboration."

"Finding jobs relevant to our field of study has become a challenge these days. Job fairs like this serve as an important platform as we meet potential employers directly, and it also builds confidence," Tiruneh told Xinhua as he approached the booth of a Chinese construction company.

At the fair, Chinese firms engaging in Ethiopia's key development sectors -- from infrastructure to information and communications technology -- drew waves of eager applicants.

China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation (CCECC), a construction giant that has been operating in the East African country for over a decade, is one of the 20 Chinese companies at the job fair. With nearly 5,000 local employees in Ethiopia, CCECC aims to further enhance its local team by recruiting about 40 graduates from this fair for positions, including engineers, accountants, marketing managers, and translators.

"Chinese companies are prominent in Ethiopia's infrastructure, manufacturing, and other sectors," Tiruneh said. "I believe that working as a junior mechanical and industrial engineer in one of these companies would be a great opportunity for my future career, especially because of their extensive expertise and advanced technologies."

Data from the Ethiopian Ministry of Labor and Skills indicate that a mismatch between labor demand and supply is a major challenge in Ethiopia's labor market, with the country's working-age population estimated at 60 million.

Encouraging educational institutions and companies to invest in bridging this gap, Solomon Addis, a labor market information system expert at the ministry, emphasized the critical role of job fairs in connecting the labor force and companies.

"Today's job fair highlights a significant issue in our country, regarding the stagnation in employment opportunities and the lack of confidence employers have in new graduates," said Kassu Jilcha, director of the Student Career Development Center at the AAU. "The rising unemployment rates and the hesitance of industries to hire recent graduates cannot be resolved without the support of university units and other stakeholders."

Jilcha also highlighted the vital role of Chinese companies, such as Huawei Ethiopia, in partnering with the university to host job fairs, serving as a platform to facilitate information sharing among companies and the university community.