First-tier cities still top choice for work

The average anticipated monthly salary of Chinese college graduates is 7,409 yuan ($1,054) and first-tier cities are still the top choice for job seekers, a new report on employment has found.

The best employment destination for college students is Beijing, followed by Shanghai, Guangzhou, Chengdu and Shenzhen. The popularity of Nanjing, Changsha, Chongqing, Zhengzhou, Jinan and Suzhou has also increased among job seekers, the report read.

Issued by 58.com, a major life services platform in China, the report surveyed more than 200,000 students from 651 universities and colleges and over 2,500 companies from May to November.

The most desired benefits for college students are housing allowances, supplementary medical insurance and routine checkups, with 87.42 percent expecting employers to offer housing subsidies, the report showed.

More than 24 percent of college students would like to work in the field of IT/internet, followed by finance (14.14 percent) and education/training (11.41 percent).

IT and internet-related majors are also the top majors in demand by employers. Nearly 42 percent of on-campus recruiting campaigns launched by companies are seeking those who have studied internet-related majors, and about 38 percent target IT communication-related majors. The demand for finance and fast-moving-consumer-goods retail majors is also strong.

The report also surveyed college students on what they want in an ideal employer and found their most important criterion is corporate culture, surpassing career development, income and public influence. The report said post-90s and post-95s college students prefer a relatively loose corporate culture and expect fairness from their employer.