New first-tier cities prove skills magnets

Emerging new first-tier cities in the country have become popular destinations for highly skilled professionals, holding more appeal than Beijing and Shanghai, according to a recent report.

The eastern city of Hangzhou, home to e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding Ltd and a branch of Chinese leading gaming outfit NetEase Inc, is shaping up to be the most attractive destination for the inflow of highly skilled professionals in 2018, according to a report from business networking website LinkedIn.

The ratio between highly skilled professionals who head to Hangzhou for work opportunities and those who leave it tops all cities in China, reporting a score of 1.58 for this indicator. Shanghai was given 1.21 and Beijing 1.15, putting them in 10th and 11th place respectively.