Students attend a graduation ceremony at a university in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on May 20. [Photo/Chen Shengwei for China Daily]

The "2024 Chinese City Talent Attractiveness Ranking," recently released by recruitment portal Zhaopin and Zeping Macro, has placed Hangzhou fifth among the top 100 most attractive Chinese cities for talent in 2023, maintaining its position from the previous year.

Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Guangzhou, Hangzhou, Chengdu, Nanjing, Suzhou, Wuhan, and Wuxi occupy the top 10 spots.

The report ranked cities based on several factors, namely the proportion of talent inflow, net talent inflow, inflow of fresh graduates, inflow of talent with a master's degree or higher, per capita disposable income, and net population inflow.

From 2019 to 2023, Hangzhou's net talent inflow percentages were 1.4 percent, 1.6 percent, 1.6 percent, 1.3 percent, and 1.2 percent, respectively, consistently placing it among the top cities.

In terms of talent movement, Hangzhou's permanent population increased by 146,000 in 2023. The city's talent inflow percentage has remained stable at around 3 percent from 2019 to 2023, while the outflow percentage decreased from 2.0 percent to 1.6 percent, indicating strong retention capabilities. The net talent inflow has consistently stayed above 1.2 percent over the past five years.

The top 10 cities from which talent flowed into Hangzhou in 2023 accounted for 31.9 percent of the total inflow, down from 33 percent in 2022. Shanghai is the primary source of talent for Hangzhou.

The report highlights that the rapid development of industries such as the digital economy and life sciences, along with relatively-high income levels, are key factors attracting talent to Hangzhou. In 2023, Hangzhou's average recruitment salary ranked third among major cities, surpassing Shenzhen and Guangzhou.