Hunt for human capital heats up

Policy cushion

In Shanghai, the country's first provincial-level legislation on building youth-friendly cities took effect on June 1.

The metropolis, with a resident population of 24.85 million as of 2025, aims to provide policy support for young people in employment, housing, dating, marriage and entrepreneurship, making it more youth-friendly and enabling young people to better contribute to its development.

Earlier this year, Nanjing, the capital of East China's Jiangsu province, released a new talent policy that aims to attract about 10 top-tier talented young people annually, with comprehensive support of up to 100 million yuan.

The city also intends to draw about 300,000 talented young people each year, and plans to provide a one-time living subsidy of 10,000 yuan for newly employed graduates with a bachelor's degree, 30,000 yuan for those with a master's degree, and 100,000 yuan for those with a PhD.

On May 10, Hunan province in Central China took its recruitment drive all the way to Hangzhou, seeking to hire talent from the Yangtze River Delta region. More than 7,500 positions were offered by about 280 companies.

"Hunan is a land of hope and vitality," Jiang Difei, vice-governor of the province, said during the event. "Come find your stage and shine."

Li Qian, a graduating master's student in environmental engineering at Zhejiang University of Technology, signed an employment contract at the event with a State-owned industrial investment enterprise based in Loudi, a city in Hunan.

"I am originally from Hunan. The rapid development of my province's digital economy and advanced manufacturing sectors is the reason I accepted the job. Besides, I had already planned to move back home after graduation," she said.

Liu Yehuan, founder and CEO of internet-related enterprise Hunan Vmonkey Technology Co, shared his entrepreneurial story that unfolded in Changsha, the capital of Hunan. The province "is a fertile ground that dares to let young people make mistakes", he said.

After enrolling at Hunan University in 2011, Liu embarked on four startup projects, all of which failed. In 2014, with support from the local government, he moved into a startup park with his small team to set up a company, benefiting from rental discounts and one-stop services such as business registration and tax guidance.

During a critical low point, when Liu's company faced nearly 10 million yuan in losses over three years, the park's entrepreneurship service center proactively helped him. "The most heartwarming moment in policy implementation is not when things are going well, but when you are in dire need of support," Liu said.

Today, one of the mini-programs made by his company to help university students print study materials has become China's top online printing brand in terms of sales volume.