Major cities in Guangdong province are highly attractive to talented individuals due to their fast economic growth, innovative industries and their easiness as cities to settle down in.
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Shenzhen and Guangzhou ranked third and fourth respectively among the most attractive Chinese mainland cities in 2023, according to the latest report jointly published by online recruitment agency Zhaopin and financial analyst Zeping Hongguan. The cities’ rankings remain the same as they were in 2022.
From a regional perspective, the talent inflow ratio in the Pearl River Delta region, where the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is located, increased from 2.8 percent in 2019 to 4.3 percent in 2023
Beijing grabbed top place, followed by Shanghai.
Shenzhen appeals strongly to talented professionals due to the fast pace of its economic development, the report said. Its GDP hit 3.5 trillion yuan ($483 billion) last year, representing a growth of 6 percent year-on-year, and its economic output ranked third nationwide.
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“The city also has a lower threshold in household registration, or hukou, compared with Beijing and Shanghai, and an innovative industry structure, which offers a large number of job opportunities for talents,” the report said.
Shenzhen’s permanent population reached a historic high in 2023, growing 128,000 compared with a year earlier. The talent inflow ratio – the ratio of a city’s net inflow of talent to the total number of talented individuals who move from place to place within the country – in Shenzhen edged up 0.1 percentage points last year from 2022, the report shows.
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“Guangzhou’s appeal also stems from its fast economic development. Cost of living and housing prices in the capital of Guangdong province are the lowest among Chinese first-tier cities,” the report stated. The city saw its talent inflow ratio increase 0.3 percentage points in 2023 from a year earlier.
From a regional perspective, the talent inflow ratio in the Pearl River Delta region, where the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is located, increased from 2.8 percent in 2019 to 4.3 percent in 2023.
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Hangzhou, eastern Zhejiang province, was the fifth most attractive city for talent in 2023, while Chengdu, southwest Sichuan province, and Nanjing, eastern Jiangsu province, secured sixth and seventh spots, respectively. The last three cities in the top 10 list were Suzhou in Jiangsu province, Wuhan in Hubei province and Wuxi in Jiangsu province.
Contact the writer at sally@chinadailyhk.com
