A job seeker (R front) fills in a form for employment at a job fair in Harbin, northeast China's Heilongjiang Province, March 18, 2023. More than 500 on-line and off-line recruiting events have been scheduled during this job fair, the largest of its kind in recent years held in the province, offering over 115,000 vacant positions in total. Photo:Xinhua

More college graduates in China are choosing smaller cities for employment rather than only considering first-tier cities, according to a report released by MyCOS, a higher education consulting firm.

According to statistics on college graduates from class of 2018 to class of 2022, the percentage of undergraduates employed in county-level localities six months after graduation rose significantly, from 20 percent for class of 2018 to 25 percent for class of 2022. Among them, the percentage for male graduates rose from 19 percent to 24 percent, and for female graduates rose from 22 percent to 27 percent.

The reason for this new trend is the increasing income levels in county-level localities. The statistics reveal that the monthly income of college graduates working in counties has risen from 4,640 yuan ($640) for class of 2018 to 5,377 yuan for class of 2022, while job satisfaction has risen from 67 percent to 76 percent.

Nearly 60 percent of undergraduates who returned to counties for work stayed in the counties continuously for five years, while about 40 percent of them returned to counties for employment after working elsewhere for a period of time.

The government and public administration sector as well as the education sector were the main industries that have the highest percentage of undergraduates employed in counties for class of 2022, according to the report. Employment in education accounted for 23.6 percent, while employment in government and public administration accounted for 14.9 percent.

Statistics also show that 35.2 percent of female graduates are employed in the education industry. Among the male graduates employed in counties, the proportion of those who choose industries related to government and public administration is the highest, accounting for 15.3 percent, while the proportion of male students choosing the education industry is only 9.6 percent.

MyCOS analyzed that college students employed in counties five years after graduation may not have a clear advantage in terms of promotions and salary increases compared to the national average level. However, they do benefit from stable incomes, the convenience of working close to home, and a better cost of living. 

Global Times