Wang Hongya, a native of Henan province, started his big city experience a year ago. He works for an IT company in Beijing and shares an apartment in Tiantongyuan residential area. [Zhang Tao / China Daily]

In Hao Jian's eyes, Cheng Ding belongs to a group most inclined and able to move - degree holders 25 to 35 years old with a monthly income of 5,000 to 15,000 yuan, working in information technology, administration, accounting or human resources.

"Their jobs are boundary-free compared with those working in industries like finance or education, which are traditionally strong in Beijing or Shanghai," said Hao, senior human resource consultant at job-search website zhaopin.com.

Moreover, there is less job competition in second-tier cities. In IT, for instance, a Zhaopin survey showed an average of 36 job hunters compete for an offer in Beijing, 20 in Chengdu. "Plus, with working experience, it will be easier for them to find a similar job in the second-tier cities," Hao said.

Xu Zhaoyuan, a researcher on urbanization with the Development Research Center of the State Council, believes urbanization is the invisible hand behind Cheng's decision to leave or stay. China was only 13 percent urban in 1950 but 41 percent in 2005. Research released in July by the San Francisco-based McKinsey Global Institute expects this pattern to continue, with 64 percent of the population living in urban centers by 2025.

"Most of the resources, from investment to talents, are channeled to big cities as their populations swell," Xu said.

Meanwhile, second- and third-tier cities face intense pressure to attract and build an educated work force and to create appropriate jobs for it, as the youth have left to work in factories in coastal cities or the multinationals in big cities.

The central government's role in urbanization has included the Western China Development Strategy in 2000 and the Rise of Central China Plan in 2004. Inland areas have been given priorities in financial support as China strives to balance its economic structure to narrow the income gap between coastal and inland areas.

"As multinationals and leading native enterprises tap new inland markets with rich natural resources and a cheaper labor force, more jobs will be generated and a new round of talent distribution will come to the country," Xu said. "It's time for birds to come back to the nests."

Chengdu, for now

With no specific plans for his future after Beijing, Cheng decided to settle down first in his wife's hometown of Chengdu, provincial capital of Sichuan. It's about 160 km from his hometown, Leshan City.

With 12.8 million residents, Chengdu is the largest city in western China in economic strength and population. It is expected to become the top choice for career-starters in the region this year, said Chen Weizhao, an official with the city's human resources administrative office. He said the number of job applicants increased by 12.7 percent in 2010 and the number of job offers jumped by 54.6 percent.

Chen finds it notable that 15 percent of applicants are non-Sichuan natives, and he said young people increasingly have come back from big cities to work in Chengdu. "The public facilities of Chengdu in healthcare, education, transportation and recreation are improving fast to match the level of top-tier cities. What's more, the relaxed lifestyle here can be rarely seen in Beijing or Shanghai."

Meanwhile, preferential policies have been announced to attract talent. Chengdu, which has vowed to become the "IT capital" of Southwest China, aggressively attracts the IT industry as a key to its development.

During Cheng's seven-year absence, a software park has been built in the city's high-tech development zone, which houses more than 120 companies, including Microsoft and other big names, and more than 80,000 employees. A government-supported program launched in 2007 aimed to import 10,000 IT elites by 2010 from some leading software companies at home and abroad. Figures through 2009, the most recent available, showed 5,600 hirings.

Chengdu will offer 20,000 jobs in the software industry this year, while the city drafts a plan to build a 10-sq-km IT development park inside the high-tech zone.

"We will provide free offices and testing facilities to those who would like to start their business in our park, especially graduates, once their projects are approved," said Fu Xuekun, deputy director of the administrative committee for the Chengdu High-Tech Development Zone. IT enterprises can also enjoy tax reductions and financial support to rent or buy their first building in Chengdu.

"Their stage is ready," Fu said. "We hope more professionals can come to work and stay here. It's a win-win matter for both of us."

Yi Ling, China Features