Central China's Hunan province is making a strategic push to become a youth-friendly region, deputies to the 14th National People's Congress said on Saturday.

Building a society that welcomes young people is crucial for Hunan's long-term development, Shen Xiaoming, a deputy to the 14th NPC and Party secretary of Hunan, said during an open-door discussion with the Hunan delegation.

"Those who embrace young people are embracing the future," Shen said.

Lower living costs give Hunan a significant edge in attracting young talent, he added.

Over the past decade, Changsha, Hunan's provincial capital, has experienced a net influx of 1 million people. Among these newcomers, 80 percent are young people, reducing the city's average age to 37 — 1.8 years younger than comparable cities nationwide.

To attract high-level talent from across the nation and the world, the province has organized targeted job fairs. Since September, recruitment events for university graduates have been held in seven cities nationwide, namely Changsha, Shanghai, Beijing, Xi'an, Wuhan, Chengdu, and Nanjing.

Meanwhile, substantial policy support has been introduced for young talents who choose to start their careers in Hunan. In December, the government approved documents aimed at building a youth-friendly province, launching initiatives focused on four key areas: education, entrepreneurship, living conditions, and personal growth.

Li Donglin, an NPC deputy and chairman of CRRC Zhuzhou Electric Locomotive Research Institute in Zhuzhou, Hunan, said that enterprises should take on the responsibility of providing favorable conditions for young people's careers.

Hunan's industrial foundation in rail transit, clean energy equipment, and semiconductors, along with the advanced manufacturing cluster of the Changsha-Zhuzhou-Xiangtan area, offers an attractive platform for youth innovation and entrepreneurship, Li said.

In recent years, the CRRC Zhuzhou Institute has organized multiple innovation seminars and open day events for young talents, providing them with real industrial scenarios and guiding them through challenges, he added.