Which Chinese city is the most attractive for foreign talents? | Statistics | Fun Fact

Published on : 23/11/2023

Editor︰Molly

The development of a city cannot be separated from talent. In the post-pandemic era, many Chinese cities have implemented more open and convenient policies to attract foreign talents.

So, in the eyes of foreigners, which is the most attractive city in China?

Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou ranking top three

2023杭州國際人才交流與項目合作大會 — The 2023 Hangzhou International Human Resources Exchanges and Cooperation Conference opens on November 12. (Web image)

At the opening ceremony of the conference, the China Foreign Talent Research Center released the research findings of the 2022 "Amazing China - The Most Attractive Chinese Cities in the Eyes of Foreign Talents" (hereinafter referred to as "Amazing Chinese Cities").

The themed event "Amazing Chinese Cities", held for 13 consecutive years since 2010, is a survey conducted on foreign talents working and living in sample cities. The 2022 annual event screened 42 sample cities and collected 6,095 valid questionnaires.

To form the Foreign Talent Attraction Index of Chinese cities, this survey quantifies the evaluations from foreign talents in three aspects: job satisfaction, convenience of living, and friendliness of the environment, which reflects the progress and results of Chinese cities in attracting and gathering foreign talents.

The top 20 cities include Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Shenzhen, Suzhou, Qingdao, Nanjing, Chengdu, Chongqing, Xiamen, Changzhou, Changsha, Jinan, Xi'an, Ningbo, Kunming, Changchun, Wuhan, and Foshan.

The survey shows that the attraction of a city to foreign talents is positively correlated with its economic development level, innovation and entrepreneurship environment, concentration of scientific and educational resources, and the level of internationalisation. (Image source: Getty)

In terms of the regional distribution of the cities on the list, the top 20 cities are mainly located in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, the Yangtze River Delta, the Greater Bay Area, the Chengdu-Chongqing region, and other national strategic areas, which are highly in line with the strategic layout of China's world-important talent centres and innovation highlands.

Cities in the eastern and coastal regions have always been favoured by foreign talents and their attraction is consistently at the forefront.

Cities in the central and western regions are also increasingly attracting the attention of foreign talents, with Chengdu and Chongqing entering the top 10 for the first time.

Social security highly praised by foreign talents

What are the specific aspects of these cities that foreign talents are particularly satisfied with? Let's take a look at the performance of each city from three perspectives.

In terms of job satisfaction, Beijing, Shanghai, and Hangzhou have the highest ratings. Nearly 90% of the foreign respondents are optimistic about their prospects of career development in China.

In terms of convenience of living, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hangzhou have the highest ratings, with Guangzhou replacing Shanghai in the top three. In these cities, foreign talents find the most convenience in transportation, and they also have a stronger demand for education and medical services.

As for environmental friendliness, Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou have the highest ratings.

Foreign talents highly praise the social security of Chinese cities, and the approval rate of government service efficiency is also very high, with more than 80% of respondents indicating that they can process visas, work permits, residence permits, and other documents conveniently.