More grads choosing to return to hometowns for work, report says

More college graduates have chosen to return to their hometowns to work rather than staying in first-tier cities, according to a new report.

The report, released by education consultancy MyCOS, said that 47 percent of students who studied in other provincial regions returned to their hometown provinces to work last year, up 4 percentage points from 2018.

Female college graduates were more willing to return to their hometowns than their male counterparts in 2022, with 52 percent of female students surveyed saying they returned while only 40 percent of male students did so.

The report also found that students in more developed regions were more likely to return to their hometowns last year.

Fifty-nine percent of students from the more developed eastern regions said they returned to their hometowns, followed by 44 percent from western regions, 37 percent from central regions and 24 percent from northeastern regions.

Moreover, students who returned to their hometowns last year preferred to work at government institutions (25 percent) and State-owned enterprises (24 percent).

Even though many of the students didn't find high-paying jobs in their hometowns, with monthly average salary lower than the national average, the job satisfactory rate for these students is higher than the national average, the report added.