(Yicai Global) July 14 -- Job search has accelerated in China this year from the past two years and emerging first-tier cities such as Chongqing and Wuhan are luring in more talent, according to recruitment platform Liepin.

The number of talents who are actively looking for new jobs has risen by 21 percent in the first half from a year ago, according to a report released by Liepin's Big Data research institute yesterday. The average rate of growth was about 10 percent in the past two years. 

The number of talents seeking jobs in other cities besides their current cities of residence grew by 16 percent, up from a 15 percent uptick recorded a year earlier. In the first half of 2021, the number had declined by 3 percent.

The most attractive city for jobseekers is Shanghai, followed by Beijing and Shenzhen. No. 4 is Guangzhou, No. 5 Hangzhou, and after that come Chengdu, Suzhou, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Chongqing. This shows that emerging first-tier cities are becoming more desirable and when Beijing and Shanghai-based jobseekers look to move they are mostly looking for employment in Hangzhou, Nanjing, Zhengzhou, and Xi'an.

Between 2017 and 2022, the number of resumes sent to apply for jobs in emerging first-tier cities, including Chengdu and Hangzhou, made up 35.3 percent of the total across China, up from 29.8 percent. People born after 1995 were the largest group behind the increase. Lower-tier cities are attracting talent in electronics, semiconductors, and integrated circuits.

Due to the rapid economic growth in the past decade, China's new first-tier cities offer more employment and development prospects, and have more affordable living expenses than first-tier ones, which is a key factor in talent appeal, according to Peng Peng, executive chairman of the Guangdong Society of Economic Reform.

Beijing has the highest average monthly salary of CNY18,976 (USD2,662), according to survey findings. Almost 43 percent of surveyed workers said they work overtime every day, and 58 percent of them work one or two hours extra every day. The most overworked group is those earning between CNY10,000 and CNY20,000 per month, making up almost 61 percent of the total.

Editor: Emmi Laine