Second- and third-tier cities compete to attract talents

Graduates pose for a group photo during a graduation ceremony at Zhejiang University in Hangzhou, capital of East China's Zhejiang province, June 29, 2013. [Photo/Xinhua]

Many second- and third-tier cities in China have rolled out a slate of favorable policies to attract university graduates, dubbed the latest wave of talent grabs, chinanews.com reported.

A survey carried out by Zhaopin.com, one of China's leading recruitment websites, shows 37.5 percent of China's new university graduates in 2017 want to work in second- and third-tier cities — metropolises besides Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou and Shenzhen.

These fresh graduates have become the chasing targets of second- and third-tier cities. To attract as much talent as possible, cities exert themselves to implement policies and provide benefits, which are appealing to the university graduates.

Though the policies vary from city to city, they generally focus on major issues concerning graduates, including preferential treatment for permanent residence (called hukou in Chinese), housing and government subsidies.

Wuhan: 20 percent discount on house purchases

Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, recently issued a series of measures to let more graduates buy or rent houses at prices 20 percent lower than market rates.

It will also provide more affordable houses and low-rent homes to fresh graduates.

The city has also implemented a new policy to provide easier access to permanent residence.

Graduates with master and doctoral degrees will no longer be limited by age to get residence registration in the city, and the age limits for university graduates and vocational college graduates will be extended to 40 years old from the current 30 years old.

Chengdu: Free accommodation for job seekers

Chengdu, the capital city of Southwest China's Sichuan province, proposed in August to construct public apartments for talents and provide rental houses in industrial areas. Companies were also encouraged to build houses for employees working in shifts.

The city has set up 20 special hostels since July, which will provide seven days' free accommodation for job seekers from other places.

As for permanent residence, the new policy issued in July allows young talents with bachelor's degrees or above and skilled workers at the same company over two years to apply for residence registration in Chengdu.

Changsha: Generous living and housing subsidies

Generous subsidies are offered in Changsha, the capital city of Central China's Hunan province. The city announced a provision in June to offer housing and living subsidies from 6,000 yuan (about $920) to 15,000 yuan per year for graduates with different types of degrees.

Those graduates with master and doctoral degrees who work in Changsha can get 30,000 yuan and 60,000 yuan respectively, when they purchase their first residence in the city.

Jinan: Reform in household registration

The public security agency in Jinan, the capital city of East China's Shandong province, carried out reform in the household registration system in June.

The reform relaxes controls over the transfer of household residence and residence registration, which allows many graduates of junior college and technical secondary school to get residence registration in the city.

Hangzhou: Lump-sum graduate subsidy

In May, Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province and host city of the 2016 G20 summit, issued a new subsidy policy to attract fresh graduates with master's and doctoral degrees.

According to the policy, master's and doctoral graduates can get a lump-sum subsidy of 20,000 yuan and 30,000 yuan respectively, if they work or start up in Hangzhou within a year after graduation.

Nanjing: Public rental houses, rental subsidies

Nanjing, the capital city of East China's Jiangsu province in July announced that some people could apply for 30-square-meter public rental houses or rental subsidies from 600 yuan to 1,000 yuan.

The qualified applicants include graduates with bachelor's degrees or above, overseas returnees, graduates of vocational college and self-employed university graduates.