Young job seekers ditching first-tier cities: Report

(ECNS) -- China's top tier cities—Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou—have lost their luster among young job seekers in the first quarter as second-tier cities like Chengdu and Shenzhen rise in popularity, according to an employment report.

The report was written by a research institute working for the Chinese classified advertising site 58.com. It said that Shenzhen in Guangdong Province was the most favored city among people born after 1995, followed by Guangzhou and Chengdu.

The report also said Shenzhen attracts younger employees because it is a dynamic city, while Chengdu's great food and low-paced life make it tempting.

Popular job choices among the post-95 generation are sales, HR and administration, education and training, and film and TV, said the report.

Shanghai, China's economic powerhouse, took the lead in salaries offered by companies at 8,326 yuan ($1,325) a month, as well as the expected salary of job seekers, about 5,344 yuan a month.

Expected monthly wages for jobs in Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and Guangzhou were 6,663 yuan, 6,589 yuan, 6,105 yuan and 6,029 yuan, respectively.

Li Yan, the director of the 58.com research institute, said cities like Hangzhou have increased efforts to attract talent. Companies there are able to offer higher payments amid rising expected incomes.

Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Zhengzhou and Xian, generally regarded as the 'new first-tier cities', have all reported active recruitments in the first quarter.