Shenzhen, Guangzhou lead mainland China’s hiring market, says recruitment agency

Hiring momentum in China’s southern cities is now leading the nation amid the region’s entrepreneurial atmosphere with both big companies and technology start-ups more willing to take on new talent, according to a study by global recruiting agency ManpowerGroup.

According to a recent quarterly employment outlook survey released by the agency, 8 per cent more employers in Guangzhou and 6 per cent more in Shenzhen said they would be hiring people in the current quarter from July to September.

The results compare with the 4 per cent and 3 per cent employment outlook figures for Beijing and Shanghai respectively, and the overall 5 per cent for mainland China.

ManpowerGroup said the findings were based on interviews with over 4,000 employers in the country.

The employment outlook in southern Chinese cities, including Shenzhen and Guangzhou, is the best in the country thanks to its dynamic entrepreneurial environment of technology companies and activities, said Jonas Prising, chairman and chief executive of ManpowerGroup.

Unlike Beijing and Shanghai, two mega cities where infrastructure and entrepreneurship are more mature and stable, getting a foothold in smaller cities like Shenzhen could be easier for new businesses which means more opportunities for job seekers, Prising told the South China Morning Post.