Shanghai Eclipses Beijing as Top Destination for Chinese University Graduates

With graduation season fast approaching, an estimated 7.2 million soon-to-be-graduates in China will have to battle it out for jobs this year.But where? A recent report says Shanghai has become the most attractive place of employment for Chinese university graduates, and many are increasingly eyeing Chinese companies for jobs.

China Top 100 Ideal Employer, a report by career consulting company Universum, revealed that the top three cities graduates aspire to work in are Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou, a trio commonly referred to by the Chinese as “Beishangguang”, the country's most known cities that are economic engines for China.

The report, released on April 3, 2014 after surveying 51,000 students from universities across China, also suggested that many Chinese companies have stepped up their hires and are becoming more popular with would-be university graduates.

Leading the charts of the most sought-after companies are mostly home-grown ones, ranging from telecommunications giant Huawei to China's second largest oil producer Sinopec. While the report didn't give reasons for why Shanghai has topped the list of preferred cities to work, many Chinese media outlets have weighed in to offer their explanations.

This week, a Beijing newspaper ran a story profiling three young working professionals who have chosen to leave Beijing for good. With the title “Leaving Beijing to work elsewhere has many benefits, the capital is no longer the first option for employment”, the piece zoomed in on the interviewees' complaints on Beijing's worsening pollution and a nepotism system that trades work for money.

Chinese media have seized upon the Universum report and churned out articles with headlines such as “Beijing has replaced Shanghai as the first option for university graduates”. It has also generated discussion on popular Chinese microblogging service Sina Weibo. (Globalvoiceonline.org)