Caring,
I do hope that direct contact by candidates has limited the number of reputable universities and high schools that need to advertise and/or use agencies.
Chinese universities are receiving a diminishing number of freshmen, a double-generation result of the one-child policy during 2000 and the 1980s. Additionally, fewer students are choosing to be English majors as foreign language use becomes less important in China's booming domestic economy. Both factors diminish the number of FTs required.

The quantity of posted jobs suggests that foreign teachers are truly needed in China, but the quality of offers points to an apparent downturn in which foreign teachers are just a tool for agencies and employers. Even though FTs have always been expected to draw locals to study English by the employers, they have not been exposed to such an amount of low credibility advertisers for jobs a few moons ago when direct employer contact was most common. Nowadays, the trend of some schools taking advantage of agents who prey on foreign applicants for teaching posts should be worrying, since few care for the well being of the ones that are actually to learn something.