According to Zhaopin.com, a Chinese human resources website, 70 percent of the best employers in the nation are located in first-tier cities. (Photo : China Daily)
China's first-tier cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are still the top choices among the country's best brains, according to a report by China Daily.
This is despite the pollution, living pressures and expensive real estate in such cities.
According to Zhaopin.com, a Chinese human resources website, 70 percent of the best employers in the nation are located in first-tier cities, with 40 in Beijing, 17 in Shanghai, 10 in Shenzhen and four in Guangdong.
"Earlier there were reports showing that job-hoppers favor smaller cities, as they want to escape Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou. This is not true," said Guo Sheng, CEO of Zhaopin.com.
"The majority of the best talents are not going to stay in third- or even fourth-tier cities. We saw many people leaving first-tier cities for all kinds of reasons. But most of them are not talents we are talking about," shared Guo in an interview with China Daily.
The results make sense, according to Guo, as the most advanced cities require the best talent. The fastest-growing industries are also located in bigger cities.
"Take Beijing as an example. It attracts a lot of investment, which will generate a lot of opportunities that will naturally attract many talents. Industries like the Internet, as well as culturally innovative ones, are developing very fast in Beijing, and they bring talents to stay in the city," Guo added.
This doesn't mean, however, that smaller cities should be overlooked by job hunters as they are also growing.
Smaller cities like Anhui, despite being less competitive in overall economic strengths, also need economic upgrading, according to Pan Yaqun, head of the Anhui Provincial Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs.
To attract foreign talent, smaller cities have introduced preferential policies such as housing subsidies and educational opportunities for prospective workers' children.
