Smaller cities chase graduates with tempting offers

APD NEWS

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Job hunting is a hot topic among Chinese students who will graduate from university in two months. Talking about which city, many of my classmates and friends say they prefer second- or third-tier cities, instead of the usual Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

"I don't think it is a great choice to work in Beijing as surging living costs and home prices here are unbearable and so pressure me a lot. However, cities like Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan Province and Nanjing, capital of East China's Jiangsu Province can grant permanent residence and provide more affordable houses and low-rent homes to graduates. I can settle down easily and build my career there with a decent job and a presentable income, so why not go there?" said one of my friends.

An increasing number of second- and third-tier cities in China have introduced a slate of favorable policies to attract Chinese talent. Although policies vary from city to city, they generally concentrate on issues like relaxed residency permits, housing and government subsidies to lure graduates to work and live in those cities.

International talent is also being sought. For example, Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang Province has promised 100 million yuan ($15.91 million) to subsidize outstanding projects. The government of Shijiazhuang, capital of North China's Hebei Province has vowed to provide 10 million yuan in research funding and a 2 million yuan settling-in allowance to academicians from developed countries and scholars with international awards.

These preferential policies have surely brought about an influx of talent to second- and third-tier cities in the past few months. A prime example is Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province. Statistics from the city's Public Security Bureau show that about 210,000 people moved to the city in the first three months of this year, almost equal to the migrant population for the whole of 2017. About 15,552 people migrated to Xi'an March 22-24, of whom 333 held a master's degree and 6,107 a bachelor's degree.

The inflow has caused some annoyance. Residential housing prices in some districts of Xi'an rose from 4,000 yuan to 7,000 yuan per square meter. Developers increased the downpayment to 40 percent or even 50 percent. Those who make a full payment will be first considered when buying apartments. The rising prices add a financial burden to the new arrivals.

Chinese cities are chasing talent to seek to accelerate their development, boost innovation and gain global recognition. Second- and third-tier cities can help top cities with their population density problems and over-concentration of talent, thus optimizing allocation of human resources. But attracting talent is one thing. Keeping it is another.

Compared to the top cities, second- and third-tier cities still lack infrastructure and a sound business and research environment. These issues can restrain career development. And without convenient, human-centric services from the authorities, preferential policies can quickly feel like empty talk and spark an exodus.

Some cities are just jumping on the bandwagon to avoid getting left behind. Without adapting their policies to meet local development needs, the battle for talent will likely turn vicious.

Preferential policies and attractive incentives are just the first step. These cities should provide better support services and facilities. They should also foster industries, create appealing job prospects and improve the recruitment evaluation system if they want people of talent to stay.

(GLOBAL TIMES)