(Yicai Global) May 31 -- New graduates in China pay attention primarily to salary and benefits when choosing a career, followed by job stability and security, according to a new report by the big data research institute of recruitment platform Liepin.Com.

Eight-six percent said salary and welfare were their priority, according to the findings of the survey of this year’s fresh graduates conducted by the institute and published yesterday. Sixty-seven percent said stability and security were key, and about 40 percent chose relevance to their majors and commuting distance.

The survey found that 52 percent expected a monthly salary of CNY5,000 to CNY10,000 (USD704 to USD1,407), and 39 percent expected CNY3,000 to CNY5,000. Only 8 percent said they hoped for a monthly salary of more than CNY10,000. Regarding salary expectations after three years of work, 64 percent said they hoped to earn CNY10,000 to CNY20,000.

In 2023, there are expected to be 11.58 million college graduates, a record high.

The report said that Shanghai has the largest number of new positions for fresh graduates and received the most graduate resumes in 2023, accounting for 11.1 percent and 10.2 percent, respectively. Beijing, Shenzhen, and Guangzhou, the other three traditional first-tier cities, were also at the top of the list.

The attractiveness of new first-tier cities, including Suzhou, Hangzhou and Chengdu, appears to have become stronger. According to the survey, about 54 percent of graduates hope to work in new first-tier cities, higher than the 24 percent targeting the four traditional first-tier cities.

First-tier cities are characterised by high house prices, higher living costs, greater competition, and more pressure, Niu Fengrui, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told Yicai Global.

But the salary level in new first-tier cities is still improving rapidly and there are more employment opportunities as well as good education and medical resources, which also motivates many young people to develop in these cities, he said.

Editor: Tom Litting