Graduates' choice

Latest statistics from MyCOS, a Beijing provider of data survey and analytical consulting services in higher education, show the proportion of college graduates choosing to work in new first-tier cities rose from 22 percent in 2014 to 26 percent last year.

The proportion of those opting to work in first-tier cities during the same period dropped from 25 percent to 21 percent.

In May, a report on college graduate employment by the recruitment website Zhaopin showed that 44 percent of the graduates surveyed hope to work in new first-tier cities, 4 percentage points up from last year. Some 31 percent hope to work in first-tier cities.

The report said industries in new first-tier cities are developing rapidly and there is a greater need for talent. To attract this, the cities have implemented a series of preferential policies, such as lowering the threshold for gaining a permanent residence permit and providing financial support for college graduates to buy homes.

The report said the favorable policies, more job opportunities and relatively low living expenses have all helped these cities to surpass their first-tier ones in becoming graduates' favorite destinations to work and live.

After graduating from a Beijing university, Weng Tingyan worked as a designer for an internet company in the capital for three years before moving to Wuhan early this year.

"My company set up a branch in Wuhan, and was selecting staff members to work there, and I volunteered to go," said the 26-year-old, who comes from Ningde, Fujian.

"I had become tired of the rapid pace of work and life in Beijing and was looking for opportunities in new first-tier cities, including Xiamen, in my home province of Fujian," she said. "My company in Beijing was looking for someone to be transferred to Wuhan on a higher salary. I had no hesitation in agreeing to move."

Weng, who now earns 200,000 yuan (about $30,000) a year, said her new lifestyle is a great improvement to that she led in Beijing.

"When I was in Beijing, although I was not on a low salary, I still had to live very frugally, as my expenses, especially rent, were very high," she said, adding that as a photography fan she had to delay buying a good camera, which cost thousands of yuan, in order to save money.

Things changed greatly after she moved to Wuhan. She has bought a good camera, and now feels more free and relaxed about spending money. "My rent now is 1,000 yuan a month, only one-third of that in Beijing," Weng said. "With a higher salary and lower expenses, I'm confident I can maintain a comfortable lifestyle."

Weng's boyfriend, who is a master's student in Beijing, also plans to work in Wuhan, and the couple aims to buy a home and settle in the city.

"The price of housing－about 20,000 yuan per square meter－is within reach and it's relatively easy for college graduates to gain permanent residence in Wuhan," Weng said.

The ability of graduates to move to new first-tier cities is not only benefiting these young people, but also the destinations, and even the entire country.

Ma Yan, deputy director of the MyCOS Research Institute, said graduates are precious human resources that enable cities to thrive and remain vigorous, adding that the arrival of young talent will accelerate the upgrading and transformation of industries in these emerging cities.

"Meanwhile, compared with first-tier cities, which are all in East or South China, new first-tier ones are scattered throughout the country. Their development will drive local economies and help rectify the imbalance among different parts of the country," she said.