China’s college graduates, facing new employment conditions, are gradually shifting their traditional mindset and prioritizing emerging cities as a priority when job hunting.

According to a survey conducted by education research company MyCOS, 37 percent of the 2018 graduates from around the country took “new first-tier” cities, such as Hangzhou, Tianjin and Nanjing, as their first choice, 6 percentage points higher than those who preferred traditional developed cities such as Beijing and Shanghai.

He Yingying, a postgraduate student at a Beijing university told China Youth Daily that over half of her classmates hoped to stay in the capital, but they would also consider other cities such as Nanjing and Hangzhou.

Another research report indicated that Hangzhou has for the first time surpassed Beijing to become the most attractive city for job hunting.

In the first 10 months of 2018, the city witnessed a net inflow of high-level talents. 69.1 percent of fresh graduates stayed in the city, and Hangzhou is also showing its increasing charm to students in other parts of the country.

The average salary in Hangzhou from January to October this year stood at 9,566 yuan, up 12.9 percent from a year ago. In addition, the city also saw a 37.1-percent increase in the demand for human resources in the same period.

Apart from the choice of workplace, the young generation is also shifting their focus when seeking for jobs.

The MyCOS report, after analyzing 2,414 valid questionnaires done by fresh graduates, found surprisingly that 76.6 percent of them took personal development as the most important part of a job, while 68.6 percent chose salary.

Interestingly, over 40 percent of the students said they had no requirements for the job as long as it was suitable.

Wang Yi, a senior in Guangdong province, is now working as an intern at an internet company. “I believe that the most important thing in job hunting is to follow your heart,” She said.

Director Zhang Lixin of the Student Career Center of Peking University suggested that the students broaden their horizons when seeking jobs and focus more on opportunities outside Beijing.

“They should also be rational when choosing jobs, starting from their own interests and capabilities, to enhance their stability and sustainability in terms of career development,” she added.